Aircraft Crash at Pucallpa-Capitán David Abensur Rengifo Airport (OB-1809-P)

Incident Overview and Flight Context The aircraft was on an intermediate stop from Lima to Iquitos, descending to Pucallpa-Capitán David Abensur Rengifo Airport runway 02. The flight from Lima had been uneventful until the crew approached the destination, when weather conditions deteriorated with heavy rain, cumulonimbus clouds, and turbulence. ## Approach and Crash On final approach, the aircraft became unstable and descended below the glide path. It crashed in a swampy and wooded area located 3.5 km short of the runway. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire. ## Casualties A total of 40 occupants, including five crew members, were killed. The fatalities included 34 Peruvian, three American, one Australian, one Colombian, and one Spanish national. Additionally, 58 people were injured, some seriously. ## Official Probable Cause The investigation commission determined the likely cause of the accident involved multiple crew decisions. These included continuing the final approach and landing in severe weather, descending unstabilized without stopping a steep descent rate above 1,500 feet per minute, and failing to avoid the storm or divert to another airport. The crew also penetrated the storm, which had been detected on weather radar approximately 190 miles in advance. Loss of horizontal and vertical visibility while penetrating the core of the storm, a severe hailstorm, caused obscuration of the front windows and total loss of situational awareness.