What happened
The flight originated from Panama City-Tocumen Airport, departing from runway 21L at 20:36 local time. The aircraft was en route to Cali, Colombia, and was cruising at an altitude of 25,000 feet when the crew received reports regarding adverse weather conditions approximately 30 to 50 miles ahead of their position.
During the flight, a short circuit caused the main attitude indicator to fail intermittently. The flight crew did not become aware of this malfunction and subsequently attempted to correct the aircraft's orientation using the erroneous data provided by the faulty instrument. This led to a loss of control, causing the aircraft type to enter a steep descent. As the plane descended to 10,000 feet, it began to break apart. The aircraft eventually struck the ground at an 80-degree nose-down angle. The wreckage was located in a jungle region roughly 13 km southwest of Tucití.
Findings
- The crew was operating under the impression that the attitude indicator was providing accurate data.
- A short circuit in the main attitude indicator provided intermittent and incorrect flight information.
- The failure of the crew to detect the instrument malfunction led to improper manual corrections and the subsequent loss of control.