What happened
A scheduled flight departing from Villavicencio-La Vanguardia Airport at 11:13 local time crashed during its arrival at Yopal. The aircraft, which was performing a flight of approximately 45 minutes, was transporting a total of 17 people, consisting of 14 passengers and 3 crew members.
As the aircraft approached the destination airport, the flight crew encountered significantly reduced visibility due to dense fog. During this phase of flight, the plane struck a hillside situated at an elevation of 480 meters, located a short distance from the Yopal airfield. The impact resulted in 16 fatalities, with only one passenger managing to survive the accident.
Findings
Investigations into the crash revealed that the crew attempted to conduct the approach into Yopal under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) despite being in Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). This decision to fly under visual rules while encountering clouds or fog was the primary factor leading to the collision with terrain.