Incident
A four-engine cargo aircraft departed Panama City-Tocumen Airport at 0549 local time on a cargo flight bound for Managua. The flight carried a crew of six. The last radio contact with the crew occurred at 0653 local time. While cruising in conditions of limited visibility, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt Fábrega, a mountain with a summit elevation of 3,335 meters located in the western part of Panama near the border with Costa Rica.
Search and Recovery
After the aircraft failed to arrive at its destination, search and rescue operations were initiated. These efforts were eventually abandoned several days later, as no trace of the aircraft or its six occupants was found. The wreckage was discovered on 19 August 1989 by walkers at an altitude of 2,800 meters, more than 500 meters below the summit of Mt Fábrega.
Crew
The crew members were: William Gross Robles, Ricardo Tadeo Czarski, Marvin José Arana, Juan de Dios Morales, Juan Francisco Pavón, and José Félix Chávez.