What happened
On March 9, 1996, a De Havilland DHC-6-200, registered as N245GW, departed from Bagua, Peru, at approximately 06:17 mountain daylight time. The aircraft was being operated by Air Associates Inc. under a lease to Carson Services Inc. for the purpose of performing a 14 CFR part 91 aerial geological survey. The flight was traveling through the Cenepa River region, an area of dense Amazon jungle located near the disputed boundary between Peru and Ecuador.
No flight plan had been filed for this mission, and the weather at the departure point was reported as having visual meteorological conditions. During the survey operation, the aircraft failed to return to its point of origin. There were no recorded radio transmissions from the crew prior to the disappearance. Because the aircraft has not been located, it is currently presumed destroyed.
Findings
There are no official details regarding the exact moment of the accident due to the lack of communication and the difficulty of the terrain. The mission included the pilot-in-command, a survey operator, and an observer from the Peruvian Air Force. All three individuals are currently listed as missing and are presumed fatally injured. Search and rescue efforts conducted in the area have yielded no significant results.