Mt San Nicolás | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The twin engine aircraft christened 'El Isleño' departed Quibdó-El Caraño Airport at 1243LT on a flight to Bogotá, carrying 12 passengers and for crew members. While cruising at an altitude of 11,500 pieds, the crew encountered poor weather conditions when the aircraft struck the slope of Mt San Nicolás. The wreckage was found few hours later and all 16 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Controlled flight into terrain after the crew may have got disoriented while flying in poor weather conditions.

Crash of a Douglas C-47 on Mt San Nicolas: 39 killed

Date & Time: Jan 21, 1972 at 1030 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

FAC-661

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Medellín – Quibdó – Bahía Solano – Buenaventura – Cali

Flight number:

FAC-661

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

En route from Mdellín to Quibdó, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to clouds. While cruising at an altitude of 12,500 feet, the airplane struck the slope of Mt San Nicolas (3,800 meters) located southwest of Betania. The wreckage was found four days later, on January 25. All 39 occupants were killed, among them civilians.

Probable cause:

It is believed that the crew lost his orientation while cruising in poor weather conditions and failed to realize he was not on properly track, thus at the right altitude.