On March 31 , 1986 , Flight 940 crashed in Las Mesas ; near Maravatio , Michoacan . All 167 people on board the Boeing 727 – 264 were killed , making it the deadliest plane crash in the country 's history and the deadliest ever to have involved this type of aircraft . The left main gear brake was overheated during the take-off run . After reaching an altitude of 31,000 feet , a tire in the left main landing gear burst and crippled the plane 's controls , causing an in-flight fire and an explosive decompression in the process . It was found that the tire had been filled with air rather than nitrogen , leading to a chemical explosion within the tire itself
Flight 940
Mexicana Flight 940
Mexicana de Aviación