What happened
On the day of the accident, an aircraft operated by a local carrier was performing a routine descent toward Buenos Aires-Aeroparque-Jorge Newbury Airport following a flight from San Miguel de Tucumán. At 10:35 LT, air traffic control instructed the crew to descend to 750 meters for a direct approach to runway 13 via the San Fernando VOR. By 10:40 LT, the aircraft had passed the OP VOR and received landing clearance. During this period, weather conditions were deteriorating, with visibility decreasing and wind speeds increasing.
At 10:42 LT, although the crew initially reported seeing the runway, they noted heavy rainfall and a shift in wind direction. Due to the loss of visual contact with the runway, the pilots elected to abort the approach. The BAC One-Eleven proceeded south toward the Quilmes (ILM) NDB. While the tower initially cleared the flight to hold at 900 meters over the ILM beacon, the crew requested a holding pattern over the Río de la Plata at a lower altitude of 600 meters due to the presence of Cumulonimbus clouds near the NDB.
At 10:52 LT, the flight was cleared for a straight-in approach to runway 31. Shortly after this clearance, the aircraft lost control and impacted the surface of the river. The accident resulted in 31 fatalities, with no survivors among the occupants. Search operations lasted 42 days, but only approximately 55-65% of the wreckage was retrieved, and both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder remained missing.
Findings
The investigation concluded that the crash was caused by the pilot's failure to properly assess the meteorological risks associated with flying through an area heavily influenced by intense cumulonimbus activity.