Mexico's Damojh says steep take-off caused Cuba plane crash

Firefighters work at the wreckage site of a Boeing 737 plane that crashed in the agricultural area of Boyeros, around 20 km (12 miles) south of Havana, shortly after taking off from Havana's main airport in Cuba, May 18, 2018. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican aviation company Damojh said on Monday a very steep take-off angle led one of its planes to crash in Cuba in May, killing 112 people, according to black boxes retrieved from the wreckage. "The crew led the plane to take off with a very pronounced ascent, creating a lack of lift that caused the aircraft to plunge as a result," the company said in a statement. The May 18 accident just outside Havana prompted Mexico's civil aviation authority to suspend Damojh's operations while it looked into the firm and investigated the causes of the crash. The little-known company had leased the Boeing 737 that crashed to Cuba's flagship carrier Cubana. (Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon)