What happened
A twin-engine airplane departed from Nuquí Airport at 12:56 local time, bound for Quibdó. On board were the pilot and two passengers. Shortly after departure, the pilot communicated with air traffic control, reporting an altitude of 1,500 feet and providing an estimated arrival time of 13:15 at Quibdó-El Caraño Airport.
Approximately nine minutes into the flight, while operating in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), the aircraft struck trees and crashed within a thick forest near Serranía del Baudó, roughly 50 km north of its origin. Search and rescue efforts were launched immediately, though the wreckage was not located until five days after the incident.
The crash resulted in one fatality, involving the pilot, while both passengers—an 18-year-old woman and an 8-month-old infant—were rescued with minor injuries. The impact caused the total destruction of the aircraft.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the accident was a controlled flight into terrain. This occurred because the pilot chose to proceed using visual flight rules (VFR) despite being in IMC conditions. Key contributing factors included:
- An inadequate assessment of risks regarding a VFR flight plan over mountainous terrain during unfavorable weather.
- A loss of situational awareness once the aircraft entered the mountain range while attempting to fly under VFR in IMC.