Incident Overview
At 1759 local time, while descending to Caracas-Maiquetía-Simón Bolívar Airport during night conditions, the pilot informed air traffic control of an engine failure. Six minutes after the report, the aircraft crashed into the sea approximately 22 kilometers north of the airport.
Rescue and Search Operations
One passenger was rescued from the water at 2205LT that same evening. The following night, search teams recovered two dead bodies from the accident site. The remaining seven occupants were never found. The aircraft sank and was subsequently lost.
Occupants
The crew consisted of pilot Ricardo Batija. The passengers were Francesco Porco, Fernando Guasamucare, Ileana González, Víctor Ruiz, Yelitza Arenas, Juan Cabezas, Ledda Martínez, Edwin Núñez, and Paola de Guasamucare.