What happened
American Airlines Flight 965 was operating a scheduled international service from Miami International Airport to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia. On December 20, 1995, the aircraft, identified as Boeing 757-200, departed Miami with 155 passengers and eight crew members on board.
While approaching the destination airport in the evening, the flight deviated from its intended path. The aircraft struck a mountain located near the town of Buga, Colombia, at approximately 9:40 PM local time. The impact occurred during the approach phase of the flight.
Investigation
The crash resulted in catastrophic damage to the aircraft. Of the 163 individuals on board, only four passengers survived the initial impact and subsequent events. 151 passengers and all 8 crew members perished in the accident.
The investigation focused on the navigation errors that led the aircraft off its designated flight path toward the mountainous terrain surrounding Cali. The specific sequence of navigational inputs and the failure to recognize the deviation were central to understanding how the Boeing 757-200 came to collide with the mountainside.