Downburst Crash in Columbia?

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There may have been a microburst airline crash in Columbia. This photo of the wreckage suggests the plane was in a flat attitude when it crashed which is consistent with the microburst theory. One news report says,

There also was conflicting information about what caused the crash. The initial report from the national police said a downdraft may have shaken the airplane as it prepared to land. But Pedro Gallardo, governor of San Andres y Providencia state, told CNN en Español that lightning hit the plane. The pilot also reported a lightning strike, El Tiempo newspaper said.

Of course, a "downdraft" is indicative of a microburst. In the Delta 191 crash, there were initial reports of lightning causing the crash. Lightning was later ruled out as a cause.

The good news is that there were apparently no fatalities and that the injuries were -- for an airline crash -- fairly minor.

If you want to learn why downbursts and airplanes don't mix, click here.

UPDATE:  News reports now say a women, who survived the crash itself, died of a heart attack shortly after.

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