What happened
After departing from Santa Cruz-El Trompillo Airport without incident, the crew initiated their descent toward runway 14 at Trinidad-Jorge Heinrich Arauz Airport. During the approach phase, the flight encountered significantly reduced visibility caused by smoke from nearby forest fires. Visibility levels were estimated to be between 300 and 500 feet.
While operating in these conditions, the aircraft descended below the safe altitude and struck trees before crashing in a forested region situated approximately 8 km from the runway threshold. Search teams located the wreckage three days after the event. The accident resulted in 8 fatalities and 1 injury.