What happened
The incident occurred while the aircraft was returning to its base in Morón following a humanitarian mission in Ecuador. Approximately twenty minutes before the estimated time of arrival in Buenos Aires, the plane was descending to an altitude of 1,500 meters. At this stage, the captain had left the flight deck to be with passengers in the cabin, leaving the copilot as the pilot in command.
A fire suddenly erupted within the cabin. As smoke spread rapidly through the interior, the captain attempted to extinguish the flames by opening a door and using a fire extinguisher, but these efforts were unsuccessful. With the cabin fully engulfed in fire, the copilot executed an emergency belly landing in a prairie located in Castilla. The aircraft slid for several yards before coming to rest, where it was completely destroyed by the ongoing fire.
The accident resulted in five fatalities, including three crew members, while twenty other individuals sustained injuries.
Findings
Investigations into the event identified a leak in the oxygen circuit as the primary contributing factor during the descent phase. Although the captain immediately instructed occupants to stop smoking, it was determined that the fire ignited when leaked oxygen came into contact with sparks inside an ashtray.