What happened
A flight operating a multi-leg journey began its day with a departure from Santiago de Chile at 10:21 local time. The aircraft, a four-engine airplane, arrived at Punta Arenas at 14:44 for a scheduled technical stop. Following this, the aircraft departed Punta Arenas at 16:53, bound for Teniente Rodolfo Marsh-Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva Airport on King George Island, Antarctica. On board were 21 passengers and 17 crew members.
During the flight, after traveling approximately 390 nautical miles, the aircraft was cruising at altitude when radar contact was lost. The disappearance occurred in the vicinity of the Drake Passage. In response to the loss of signal, a joint search and rescue operation was launched involving the Air Forces of Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina, which deployed multiple aircraft to the region.
Two days after the disappearance, wreckage from the aircraft was discovered floating on the ocean surface. It is believed that there were 38 fatalities as no survivors were located.
Findings
No official conclusion regarding the specific reason for the loss of contact has been finalized, though the aircraft vanished while in the cruising phase of flight.