What happened
A twin-engine aircraft was operating a chartered service for the Fishing Cooperative of Juan Fernandez, traveling from Los Cerrillos Airport in Santiago toward the Island of Robinson Crusoe. The flight path included a scheduled refueling stop at Valparaíso-Rodelillo Airport.
While the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 6,000 feet, approximately 330 km west of the Chilean coastline, the pilot reported an engine failure to air traffic control. At the time of the incident, the aircraft was encountering strong winds from the west. Shortly after the transmission regarding the mechanical issue, the plane went down in the Pacific Ocean.
Search and rescue operations were launched to locate the wreckage and the people on board. Despite these efforts, there was no trace found of the aircraft or its eight occupants, resulting in eight fatalities. The wreckage remains unrecovered.
Findings
Because the aircraft and its contents were never located, investigators could not reach a definitive conclusion regarding the accident. However, officials noted that fuel contamination by water was a potential factor that could have led to the engine failure.