On June 4 , 1969 , Flight 704 crashed near Salinas Victoria ; some 20 miles north of the city of Monterrey . All 79 people on board were killed , including Mexican tennis star Rafael Osuna . The aircraft was a Boeing 727 – 64 , with tail number XA-SEL , and was approaching Monterrey 's airport . It had made a continuous descent in the last 5 minutes before impact . The pilot turned left instead of right once the aircraft passed over the Monterrey VOR , apparently not knowing his exact position at the time
Flight 704
Mexicana Flight 704
Mexicana de Aviación