What happened
A flight operating between Panama City and Maracaibo was carrying 17 passengers and a crew of 6 at the time of the accident. During the flight, the crew provided several position reports. At 23:51 local time, the aircraft was positioned over the Riohacha intersection at an altitude of 15,000 feet, with an expected arrival time at Maracaibo-Grano de Oro Airport set for 00:30 local time. By 00:15 local time, the crew reported being 35 miles from their destination while descending to 10,000 feet. The final communication from the aircraft occurred at 00:22 local time.
The aircraft subsequently struck Alto del Cedro Mountain within the Serranía de Perijá. The impact resulted in 23 fatalities, leaving no survivors among the passengers or crew.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the accident was the result of a premature descent initiated by the pilot. This descent occurred because the pilot did not maintain an adequate safety margin while navigating an area characterized by limited navigational aids and a modified flight path.
Specifically, upon reaching position Tango/2, the pilot executed a northwest turn instead of waiting to turn at Barranquilla. This error led the aircraft toward an incorrect position 45 miles from the Riohacha intersection. The pilot failed to account for this positional discrepancy when calculating the remaining distance to Maracaibo. It is believed that while reporting being 35 miles out, the pilot likely mistook gas flares and lights at Carrasquero for the lights of Maracaibo through a thin cloud layer. The investigation noted that the pilot should have maintained a higher altitude until confirming the correct position via radio compass oscillation or visual identification of the actual city lights.