What happened
Shortly after departing from San Andrés Island, the aircraft was operating at a cruising altitude of 9,500 feet. Approximately twenty minutes into the flight, the pilot contacted air traffic control to report the aircraft's position directly above the PC-2 beacon, noting that weather conditions were favorable. This communication served as the final radio contact from the flight.
Following the loss of contact, search and rescue operations were initiated to locate the missing plane and its 45 occupants. These efforts continued for three days before being officially halted, as no wreckage or debris from the aircraft was located. However, eight days after the disappearance, fragments of equipment belonging to the right main landing gear were discovered on a beach on Moron Island in Panama.
Findings
Because no significant wreckage was recovered and no definitive evidence was found at the scene, investigators were unable to establish a specific cause for the disappearance.