Accident Details
On a flight from Villavicencio-La Vanguardia Airport to Uribe, a twin-engine aircraft carrying 15 passengers and 2 pilots departed at 1530 local time. While cruising in poor weather conditions, the crew reported an estimated time of arrival of 1550 at Uribe. At an altitude of 11,800 feet, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain and disintegrated on impact. The wreckage was located three days later on Mt Páramo El Nevado, approximately 33 kilometers northeast of Cubarral. The aircraft was totally destroyed, and all 17 occupants were killed.
Investigation and Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause to be controlled flight into terrain after the crew decided to continue the flight under visual flight rules (VFR) in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Contributing factors included erroneous navigation, low situational awareness regarding the geographical orientation at the beginning and during the flight, and failure to observe the warnings of proximity to terrain issued by the Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) for three minutes.