Rep. Ritchie Torres Renews Call on Honduran Government to Investigate Crash That Killed Singer Aurelio Martínez Suazo

Resources / In the News Share on Rep. Ritchie Torres Renews Call on Honduran Government to Investigate Crash That Killed Singer Aurelio Martínez Suazo Jun 17, 2026 In the News WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) sent a letter to Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah , President of the Republic of Honduras, demanding action to advance the investigation into the crash of Aerolínea Lanhsa Flight 018, following an initial letter sent by Rep. Torres to then-President Xiomara Castro on April 11, 2025. The crash killed twelve people off the coast of Roatán on March 17, 2025, including beloved Honduran singer and U.S. citizen Aurelio Martínez Suazo . More than fourteen months after the crash, families and survivors are still waiting for accountability. The facts surrounding the crash and the investigation that followed are deeply alarming. The Cockpit Voice Recorder has not been recovered, and the wreckage and engines remain submerged and visibly degrading off Roatán. According to the Provisional Report issued in March 2026 by the CIAIA, Honduras’s investigating commission, the aircraft’s temporary exemption from the Flight Data Recorder requirement had expired on March 4, 2021, meaning the plane was operating without a valid exemption at the time of the accident. The CIAIA operates under the authority of the Secretariat of National Defense and the Agencia Hondureña de Aeronáutica Civil, the same body responsible for aviation safety regulation and the same body that allowed this aircraft to operate without a valid flight data recorder exemption. This raises serious questions of independence under Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention, which requires that accident investigations be conducted independently of aviation regulatory bodies. Rep. Torres, acting in coordination with the family of Aurelio Martínez Suazo, Bronx residents, and the New York Garífuna Pastoral, is calling on the Honduran government to authorize the immediate recovery of the wreckage, the CVR, the engines, the propellers, and all other relevant components; to ensure the meaningful and transparent participation of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch, both serving as Accredited Representatives under Annex 13; to preserve the integrity of evidence and chain of custody; to require Aerolínea Lanhsa to fulfill its legal obligations to the families; and to open a direct channel of communication with the families, including a public statement on the status of the investigation. Because Aurelio Martínez Suazo held United States citizenship and the aircraft’s engines were produced by an American manufacturer, the resolution of this matter is of direct concern to the United States Government. Rep. Torres’s office remains in active coordination with the Martínez Suazo family, Bronx residents, and the New York Garífuna Pastoral, and stands ready to work with the Honduran government, the Embassy of Honduras, and the NTSB toward a credible resolution. The full letter reads: “I write to follow up on my April 11, 2025 letter to your predecessor regarding the tragic crash of Aerolínea Lanhsa Flight 018 off the coast of Roatán on March 17, 2025, which claimed the lives of twelve individuals, including the beloved Honduran singer and US citizen Aurelio Martínez Suazo, and left five survivors. My constituents have been waiting more than fourteen months for the accountability that the families, the Garifuna community, and my Honduran-American constituents deserve. “The facts known today are alarming. The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) has not been recovered, and the wreckage and engines remain submerged and visibly degrading off Roatán. According to information in the CIAIA Provisional Report issued in March 2026, the temporary exemption from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) requirement expired on March 4, 2021, and the aircraft was operating without a valid exemption at the time of the accident. My constituents are equally concerned that Honduras’s investigating commission, the Comisión Investigadora de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación (CIAIA), depends institutionally on the Secretariat of National Defense (SEDENA) and on the Agencia Hondureña de Aeronáutica Civil (AHAC), the same authority responsible for aviation safety regulation, raising serious questions of independence under Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention. “My constituents, in coordination with the family of Aurelio Martínez Suazo and the Pastoral Garífuna, respectfully ask your administration to authorize the recovery of the wreckage, the CVR, the engines, the propellers, and other components relevant to the investigation without further delay; to ensure the meaningful and transparent participation of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), both currently serving as Accredited Representatives in the investigation under Annex 13; to preserve the integrity of evidence and cha