Mailén Díaz Almaguer, the only survivor of Cubana de Aviación flight 972 that crashed in Havana in 2018, revealed in an interview with N+ Univision 23 a shocking detail: neither she nor her husband had tickets to board the plane that took off for Holguín.
"We didn't have the money to travel; it was resolved, we figured it out there at the airport," confessed the young woman, who was 19 years old at that time on 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 just two months. He was one of the 112 people who lost their lives that day.
But that wasn't the only chance that shaped her fate. The young woman also recalled that moments before the tragedy, the flight was about to be canceled and replaced by a bus. "I do remember that at one point the plane wasn't going to take off; they were going to put buses."
That possible cancellation of the flight, which unfortunately did not happen, is one of the few memories he retains from that day. His mind completely blocked out the moments leading up to the impact.
"I don't remember anything, neither inside the plane nor when it took off, nothing, I don't remember anything," said journalist Javier Díaz.
"They told me at Calixto García 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, not even who I was on the plane with," he detailed.
The interview features Mailén, who continues to fight against the physical effects of the accident. "I am currently undergoing my physical therapy because I have a spinal cord injury at the C6-C7 cervical level," she explained.
In addition to physiotherapy, she needs a prosthesis, medical supplies, and a catheter. Javier Díaz shared his contact number (+53 5 6000284) for anyone who wishes to help her.
Despite all the injuries and trauma, the young woman has taken steps that few imagined possible. Four years ago, she got on a plane for the first time after the accident, facing her fears head-on: "That day, I broke through that barrier."
On a spiritual level, she found Christ after the tragedy, and that has been her support. When asked what she would say to her deceased husband, she replied: "That I came to know Christ, that he didn't know Him because I didn't know Christ before, and that I have managed to cope, I've managed to handle things. And that it truly would have meant a lot to me, 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 and have caused so many families to suffer must pay, that's the truth."
In March 2026, a Mexican federal judge sentenced Global Air to pay the equivalent of about 7.1 million dollars to the families of four deceased Mexican crew members, in the first definitive civil ruling of the case, although it does not reach the families of the Cuban passengers or Mailén herself.
In addition, the airline has been facing 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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