What happened
Following its departure from Barranquilla Airport, the aircraft was cruising at 10,000 feet over the Caribbean Sea when a fire ignited in the left engine. In an attempt to manage the emergency, the crew engaged the onboard fire suppression system; however, a mechanical malfunction prevented them from feathering the propeller.
To maintain sufficient airspeed and prevent an aerodynamic stall during the crisis, the captain performed a rapid descent. During this period, the passengers discarded cargo from the plane. The situation eventually necessitated an emergency ditching in the sea, approximately 34 km from Cartagena. Shortly after impacting the water, the aircraft submerged within four minutes. All three occupants were successfully rescued from the wreckage.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified that a fire in the powerplant and the subsequent failure of the propeller feathering system created critical flight conditions as the propeller began windmilling. Additionally, the investigation revealed that the aircraft was overloaded by 1,167 kilos, a weight discrepancy that the crew had not been made aware of before takeoff.