Incident
An aircraft, recently sold to an Ecuadorian operator and parked at Caracas Airport, departed Caracas-Maiquetía-Simón Bolívar Airport in the evening on a delivery flight to Latacunga, Ecuador. The crew of three was cleared to descend to FL180, then FL150, and finally FL130. While flying over a mountainous area, the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alarm sounded. The crew apparently attempted to gain altitude, but the alarm continued for 22 seconds before the aircraft collided with the Iliniza Volcano. The aircraft disintegrated on impact, killing all three occupants.
Investigation
The wreckage was discovered the following day at an altitude of 3,992 metres. The official investigation determined the probable cause to be non-compliance by the crew with the technical procedures, configuration, speed, and bank angle required for the initial turn of the Instrument Approach Procedure n°4 published in the AIP Ecuador for Latacunga Airport. This failure placed the aircraft outside the protected area (published pattern), leading to high-elevation mountainous terrain. Contributing factors included the crew's ignorance of the area under the approach path and a lack of documentation and procedures by the airline governing flights to non-scheduled and special airports.