What happened
During a scheduled local training mission, a four-engine aircraft departed from the Santa Lucía Air Force Base. While the flight was in progress, the aircraft entered an area of cloud cover. During this period of obscured visibility, the plane collided with the side of Mt La Paila, which reaches an elevation of 2,865 metres. The impact occurred approximately 57 km northeast of the departure airfield.
All five crew members on board the aircraft perished in the accident.
Findings
Official investigations concluded that the primary factor in the accident was controlled flight into terrain.