Mailén Díaz Almaguer, the sole survivor of flight 972 of Cubana de Aviación that crashed in Havana in 2018, revealed in an interview with N+ Univision 23 a shocking detail: neither she nor her husband had a ticket to board the flight to Holguín.
"We didn't have the means to travel; it was resolved, we figured it out right there at the airport," confessed the young woman, who was 19 years old on that May 18 when the Boeing 737-200 crashed just 35 seconds after taking off from José Martí Airport.
Mailén was traveling with her partner, Jean Michel López Salinas, with whom she had been married for only two months. He was one of the 112 people who died that day.
But that wasn't the only chance event that marked her fate. The young woman also recalled that, moments before the tragedy, the flight was nearly canceled and replaced by a bus. "I do remember that at one point the plane was not going to leave; they were going to put us on buses."
That possible flight cancellation, which unfortunately did not happen, is one of the few memories he has from that day. His mind completely blocked out the moments leading up to the crash.
"I don't remember anything, neither inside the plane nor when it took off, nothing, I don't remember anything," said journalist Javier Díaz.
"I was told at the Calixto García, they told me what had happened to me. They didn't tell me who I was with, because I didn't know either. I had a blackout and didn't remember anything or who I was on the plane with," he detailed.
The interview features Mailén, who continues to fight against the physical consequences of the accident. "I currently do my physiotherapy because I have a spinal injury at the C6-C7 level, at the cervical level," she explained.
In addition to physical therapy, she needs a prosthesis, medical supplies, and a catheter. Javier Díaz shared his contact number (+53 5 6000284) for those who wish to help her.
Despite all the injuries and traumas, the young woman has taken steps that few thought possible. Four years ago, she got back on a plane for the first time after the accident, facing her fear head-on: "That day, I broke through that barrier."
In the spiritual realm, she found Christ after the tragedy, and that has been her support. When asked what she would say to her late husband, she replied: "That I met Christ, and he didn't know it because I didn't know Christ before, and that I have managed to carry on, I have managed to handle things. And that I truly would have needed him a lot, that's the truth."
The official investigation determined that the most likely cause of the incident was a chain of human errors: the crew did not incorporate last-minute changes in passengers, luggage, and fuel when calculating the weight and balance of the aircraft, which left the center of gravity outside safe limits. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-200, was operated by the Mexican airline Global Air under contract with Cubana de Aviación.
Mailén continues to demand accountability: "Those who made a mistake must pay, and as a result, so many families have suffered, that's the truth."
In March 2026, a Mexican federal judge condemned Global Air to pay the equivalent of about 7.1 million dollars to the families of four deceased Mexican crew members, marking the first solid civil ruling in the case, although it does not cover the families of the Cuban passengers or Mailén herself.
In addition, the airline has been undergoing bankruptcy proceedings since 2024, and the Cuban regime has not provided the documents requested by the Mexican prosecutor’s office to advance the criminal investigation.
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