What happened
On the morning of the accident, a twin-engine aircraft departed from La Serena-La Florida Airport at 10:53 local time. The flight was conducting a geophysical mission for a mining program, specifically focused on magnetic prospection, over the Domeyko region. The flight crew consisted of one pilot and one passenger.
Shortly after departing, approximately seven minutes into the flight, the pilot contacted Air Traffic Control to report that the aircraft was maintaining an altitude of 6,500 feet. The pilot also indicated an intention to descend to 500 feet once the aircraft reached the target area over Domeyko.
Roughly thirty minutes after the initial takeoff, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt Yerbas Buenas, located approximately 84 km north of the La Serena Airport. The impact was followed by a significant fire that consumed the wreckage. Search teams located the debris at an altitude of 1,579 metres approximately four hours after the event. The aircraft was completely destroyed by the post-crash fire, and both the pilot and the passenger were killed in the accident.
Findings
- The aircraft was destroyed by a fire that occurred following the initial impact.
- The mission involved low-altitude flight operations intended for magnetic surveying.