Accident Overview
On the day of the accident, a cargo airplane departed Bogotá-El Dorado Airport at 0938 local time, bound for Tame with three crew members, 15 passengers, and a load of 2,300 kilograms of foodstuffs. The last radio contact occurred at 1007 LT, when the pilot reported the aircraft's position over Guateque and estimated arrival over Yopal at 1030 LT.
At 1030 LT, while cruising at an altitude of 3,600 meters in poor weather conditions, the airplane struck the slope of Mt Peña de Laura. The impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate, resulting in the deaths of all 18 occupants. The crew consisted of pilot Carlos Augusto Herrera Rodríguez, copilot Jorge Alberto Díaz Muñoz, and flight engineer Gabriel Moreno García.
Investigation Findings
The official investigation determined the probable cause as a controlled flight into terrain resulting from a combination of factors:
- The crew's decision to continue the flight under visual flight rules (VFR) in weather conditions below minimums for such flight.
- The crew became lost in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) because the pilot failed to navigate properly, causing a deviation from the route specified in the flight plan.
- Inadequate instrument flight rules (IFR) operation due to the improper use of the aircraft for instrument flight, as it lacked the necessary navigation equipment.
- Inadequate preflight inspection; the pilot either did not inspect the navigation equipment or, aware that it was unserviceable, began the flight regardless.
- Unfavorable wind, cloud cover, lack of visibility, and rain in the area of the aircraft's trajectory.
- Deficiencies in maintenance and inspection related to the failure to correct the suction to normal value, which remained very high for over two months, potentially affecting gyroscopic instrument readings.
- Authorizing operation of the aircraft with unserviceable VOR and ADF systems.
- Lack of supervision by the operator over the aircraft and crew in maintenance, dispatch, operation, and exploitation, allowing the owner to conduct these activities according to his own criteria, leading to the flight commencing with non-functional navigation equipment in violation of the Aeronautical Regulations Manual.