Margarita Island

While flying at 5,500 feet, the aircraft lost altitude and crashed on the slope of a mountain located near Santa Rita de Santa Teresa del Tuy, bursting into flames. The aircraft was destroyed and both occupants were killed.

The aircraft departed Caracas-Maiquetía-Simon Bolivar on a post maintenance test flight, carrying eight engineers and technicians and three crew members. Twenty-eight minutes into the flight, the crew started the test program when nine minutes later, the pilot was able to send a brief mayday message but its content remains unclear. The aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in the sea 16 km off Margarita Island. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and few debris were found floating on water while the majority of the aircraft sank to a significant depth and was not recovered.