What happened
On the evening of the accident, American Airlines flight 965 departed from Miami, destined for Cali. During the descent to 20,000 feet, the crew established contact with Cali Approach. The Boeing 757 was positioned approximately 63 nautical miles from the Cali VOR when air traffic controllers cleared the flight for a direct approach to the VOR, followed by instructions for a straight-in VOR DME approach to runway 19.
In an attempt to program the approach into the Flight Management Computer, the crew entered the identifier 'R' based on their Jeppesen approach charts. However, the aircraft's database associated the 'R' identifier with the Romeo navaid rather than the Rozo NDB. Because both navigation aids shared the same frequency, the aircraft began a left turn toward the Romeo station shortly after passing the Tulua VOR. This deviation from the intended straight-in path created confusion within the cockpit.
Approximately 87 seconds into the turn, the crew engaged Heading Select mode, which disengaged LNAV and initiated a right turn. This maneuver directed the aircraft toward high-altitude terrain. As the aircraft entered the mountains, a Ground Proximity Warning System alert sounded. The crew attempted to recover by increasing engine power and pitching the nose up, but the spoilers remained deployed. The aircraft eventually struck a mountain at an elevation of roughly 8,900 feet, resulting in all fatalities on board.
Findings
Investigation into the accident revealed that the primary factor was a navigation database discrepancy where the crew entered an incorrect waypoint identifier into the FMC, leading the aircraft to fly toward a different navigation aid sharing the same frequency.