What happened
On the morning of the accident, a twin engine airplane departed from Neiva-La Manguita Airport at 09:41 local time, bound for Cali-Palmaseca Airport. While navigating past the Tuluá VOR at an altitude of 10,500 feet, the crew received clearance to begin their descent.
During this phase of the flight, the aircraft encountered challenging weather characterized by mist and periodic rainfall, which significantly limited visibility. While operating under these marginal conditions, the aircraft struck a mountain slope in the vicinity of La Magdalena, situated east of Buga. The force of the impact caused the aircraft to disintegrate. All 17 occupants were killed in the crash. Search efforts located the wreckage at an elevation of 8,600 feet.
Findings
Investigations into the accident highlighted several critical operational failures:
- The crew proceeded with the flight using Visual Flight Rules (VFR) despite encountering weather conditions that were unsuitable for such operations.
- There was a failure to update the flight plan from VFR to Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) when the visibility decreased.
- The flight was conducted outside of the designated airways established by the Colombian Air Routes Manual.
- The crew continued flying under VFR in adverse weather without transitioning to the required IFR procedures.
- There was evidence of insufficient oversight by both the operator and operational personnel, as deviations from established air routes were permitted.