What happened
On the morning of the accident, a flight departing Guayaquil for Quito began its journey at 08:06 hours. The aircraft, carrying a total of 32 persons including three crew members and one infant, was initially cleared for an instrument flight rules (IFR) climb along the Guayaquil-Esperaldas track on a heading of 358°. Following this initial phase, the flight was intended to proceed via visual contact toward its destination.
During the flight, the pilot communicated with air traffic control at 0819 hours, providing an estimated arrival time over the Manta radio beacon. At 0820 hours, the pilot reported maintaining an altitude of 4,000 feet. Subsequent requests for a higher altitude were made by the crew; after being initially told to wait, clearance was granted at 0840 hours to climb to 5,000 feet on the established track. The aircraft was reported over the Manta beacon at 0841 hours and was subsequently cleared to climb above the cloud layer.
Following this final communication, the aircraft disappeared from radar contact. It is believed the flight continued through cloud cover without reaching the top of the weather, eventually impacting the western mountains of the Chugchilán Range at an altitude of 2,300 metres (7,500 feet). The impact resulted in 32 fatalities.
Findings
The investigation determined that the pilot failed to adhere to the authorized 358° Guayaquil-Esmeraldas track while operating under instrument flight rules. It is believed the crew likely adopted a heading of approximately 250° shortly after departure to pursue a more direct path to Quito. This deviation from the assigned track occurred at an altitude insufficient to safely clear the terrain of the Chugchilán Range.