What happened
During a nighttime descent toward Caracas-Maiquetía-Simón Bolívar Airport, the pilot reported an engine malfunction to air traffic control at 1759LT. Approximately six minutes after this communication, the aircraft went down in the ocean, roughly 22 km north of the destination airport.
Search and rescue efforts led to the recovery of one passenger at 2205LT on the night of the accident. During subsequent operations the following night, authorities located two deceased individuals. Despite these findings, seven other occupants remained missing. The wreckage of the aircraft submerged in the sea and was subsequently lost.
In total, the incident resulted in nine fatalities and one survivor among the passengers and crew.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the accident was triggered by an engine failure of undetermined origin.