What happened
During a flight traveling from Panama City to Medellín, the crew was navigating toward the Abejorral NDB. While maintaining an initial altitude of 16,000 feet, the flight crew received clearance to descend to FL120. As the aircraft continued its descent, reaching approximately 12,300 feet, it collided with the slope of Mt Páramo Frontino. The impact occurred roughly 85 km northwest of the Medellín-José María Córdova Airport.
The collision caused the three-engine aircraft to disintegrate upon hitting the terrain. There were no survivors of the accident, with a total of 132 fatalities recorded. At the time of the crash, the flight was operating in challenging meteorological conditions characterized by rain, mist, and heavy cloud cover.
Findings
Investigations into the event noted that the aircraft was operating in poor visibility due to the presence of clouds and rain during the descent phase. The terrain strike occurred while the aircraft was transitioning through lower altitudes in inclement weather.