What happened
A flight originating from Buenos Aires-Aeroparque-Jorge Newbery Airport was traveling toward Ushuaia with a scheduled stop at Río Grande Airport. The aircraft, a twin engine plane, initially carried two crew members and 10 passengers. During the stop in Río Grande, the passenger count changed as two individuals disembarked and two new passengers boarded.
At 16:38 local time, the flight departed Río Grande for its final leg to Ushuaia. As the aircraft approached the destination, the crew encountered heavy snowfall which significantly reduced visibility. While operating in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), the pilot attempted to proceed using visual flight rules (VFR). During the final approach, the aircraft descended into the water surface of the Beagle Canal, approximately 9 km east of the airport. The impact caused the plane to sink, and there were 12 fatalities among the occupants.
Findings
Investigations into the accident suggest that the pilot may have experienced an optical illusion while attempting to maintain visual flight rules in marginal weather. This led to a descent below the minimum descent altitude (MDA) before the crew realized the aircraft's low altitude, resulting in the collision with the water.