What happened
A charter flight operated by LAMIA was traveling from Santa Cruz-Viru Viru to Medellín-José María Córdova Airport. The aircraft was transporting members of the Chapecoense Real soccer team, who were en route to participate in a Copa Sudamericana match against Atletico Nacional.
During the night descent under favorable weather conditions, the Avro RJ85 encountered electrical issues. At 21:56 local time, while descending through FL155, the aircraft struck treetops and crashed into a wooded area on a mountain slope in Cerro Gordo, situated approximately 17 km south of the runway 01 threshold near La Ceja. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft, though no post-crash fire occurred. The accident resulted in 71 fatalities, while six individuals—comprising two crew members and four passengers—sustained injuries and were evacuated.
Findings
Initial investigations suggested that electrical malfunctions and potential fuel exhaustion played roles in the accident. Subsequent official findings identified that the crash was the result of improper flight planning and execution. Specifically, the crew failed to account for necessary reserve, contingency, and minimum landing fuel required by regulations for an international flight involving aircraft CP-2339.
Contributing factors included a loss of situational awareness by the crew, premature configuration of the aircraft for landing, and systemic organizational failures within the operator. These deficiencies included a lack of operational oversight and deviations from standard operating procedures. Following the incident, the Bolivian Civil Aviation Authority revoked the Air Operator Certificate for LAMIA.