What happened
On a flight departing from Loreto Airport at 0901LT, a single-engine aircraft was en route to Ciudad Constitución. The flight was operated with one pilot and 13 passengers on board. During the flight, the area was experiencing severe weather conditions characterized by heavy rainfall and low visibility caused by the tropical storm 'Octave'.
Approximately six minutes after the departure, while the aircraft was maintaining an altitude of 3,900 feet, it struck the side of a rocky mountain within the Sierra de La Giganta range. The impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate. Search efforts located the wreckage roughly 26 km west of Loreto two days after the incident. The accident resulted in 14 fatalities, as all occupants on board were killed.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating in an area impacted by tropical storm 'Octave'.
- Flight conditions included heavy rain and significantly reduced visibility at the time of the accident.