Flight History
On 13 March 2026, a Colombian Army Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter, registration EJC2150, departed from the Ninth Brigade in Neiva, Colombia, destined for the Escuela Militar de Cadetes (ESMIC) in Bogotá. The helicopter operated in the vicinity of El Dorado International Airport (SKBO) and entered the final approach path of runway 14L without authorization from air traffic control. While on the approach path, it converged with an ATR42 commercial passenger aircraft that was on final approach. The minimum separation recorded was 764 feet horizontally and 449 feet vertically. Neither aircraft executed evasive maneuvers.
Subsequently, the helicopter crossed the path of runway 14R at approximately 300 feet above ground level, while a Boeing 737 was at the holding point for that runway and several aircraft were on the parallel taxiway K. The helicopter then departed the aerodrome area toward the city, following ATC instructions, and landed at its planned destination. No damage to the aircraft or injuries to persons were reported.
Probable Cause
The Colombian Aeronautical Accident Investigation Directorate (DIACC) determined that the serious incident originated from a discrepancy between the destination requested by the helicopter crew and the destination recorded in the AFIL (airborne flight plan). This discrepancy degraded the spatial awareness of both the crew and ATS units regarding the intended landing site, leading to instructions and maneuvers that resulted in the helicopter's incursion into critical areas such as the final approach paths of runways 14L and 14R in the presence of commercial traffic.
Contributing Factors
Investigators identified several contributing factors:
- Incomplete or inaccurate readback/hearback of the final destination during the AFIL process, resulting in a flight plan filed with destination SKBO (El Dorado International Airport) instead of the crew's intended destination, Escuela Militar de Cadetes.
- Lack of standardized specification for a destination that was not an aerodrome/heliport, increasing the likelihood of misinterpretation as an airport.
- Failure of the air traffic controller to provide an exact readback of the AFIL flight plan after the pilot's oral transmission, leading to a different interpretation by the Neiva ATC and subsequently along the route.
- Gaps in the readback/hearback process regarding the destination and exact landing point.
- Traffic management by the controller under a prior expectation bias; the controller, before first contact with the helicopter, assumed it would land at a military soccer field within the aerodrome, which influenced the issuance of instructions and the crew's interpretation, causing the aircraft to approach critical areas.
- Issuance of confusing instructions by ATC and execution of maneuvers by the pilot, each with a different situational awareness before entering and crossing critical paths.
- Absence of standardized designators or indicators for specific locations on visual navigation charts for civil or military helicopter operations in the Bogotá aerodrome area and its vicinity.
Conclusion
The serious incident was classified as a loss of separation (ATM category) and involved a state aircraft and commercial traffic. The investigation highlighted deficiencies in communication procedures and flight plan handling.