Small Cessna Crashes Over Peru’s Nazca Lines, 13 Dead

Sun Sep 06 2026 05:19:17 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Peruvian tourist flight crashes killing all 13 aboard, leaving investigators racing to determine cause.

A Cessna Caravan C-208 doomed its 13‑person passenger load while over the Nazca Lines on 1 August 2026, local authorities confirmed. The crash occurred about 13:00 local time in the Pueblo Viejo region after departure from Pisco airport. Officials have recovered four bodies and no survivors, with the aircraft belonging to Aerodiana. This is the third fatal incident over the heritage site in two decades, following similar crashes in 2010 and 2022.

A Cessna Caravan C‑208 plummeted over Peru’s Nazca Lines, wiping out all 13 people on board, a local report said.

The aircraft, carrying 11 tourists and two pilots, was traversing the famed desert geoglyphs when it crashed at roughly 13:00 local time (19:00 BST) in the Pueblo Viejo region, after taking off from Pisco airport.

Passengers included two Germans, two Spaniards and seven Italians, officials confirmed, while the aircraft was registered to local carrier Aerodiana.

Police Major Jorge Andrade told AFP no survivors were found and four bodies had been recovered so far.

Firefighters have sprayed water over the wreckage and smoke has been seen rising, footage from Reuters shows.

The municipality of Nasca sent a statement expressing "deep sorrow" for the tragedy and condolences to the families.

Aerodiana said it would "assess its flight schedule" pending guidance from authorities.

This incident marks the third fatal crash over the Nazca Lines in recent decades: a 2010 flight lost six passengers and a 2022 flight claimed seven lives.

Investigation teams are working to determine the cause, with the initial focus on pilot error, mechanical failure and weather conditions.

As the site remains a popular UNESCO World Heritage attraction for tourists flying in small aircraft to view the earth‑level drawings, the crash underscores the inherent risks of such flights over the remote desert.