Norte de Santander

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

MSN:

13110

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

After landing at Ocaña-Aguas Claras Airstrip, the aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance. It overran and came to rest in a ditch. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Lockheed C-130B Hercules in Ocaña

Date & Time: Jul 3, 1989

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed C-130 Hercules

Operator:

Registration:

FAC-1007

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

MSN:

3531

YOM:

1959

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

For unknown reasons, the four engine aircraft landed hard at Ocaña-Aguas Claras Airport and was damaged beyond repair. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Boeing 727-21 on Mt El Espartillo: 143 killed

Date & Time: Mar 17, 1988 at 1317 LT

Type of aircraft:

Boeing 727-100

Operator:

Registration:

HK-1716

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter

Schedule:

Bucaramanga – Cúcuta – Cartagena – Barranquilla

MSN:

18999

YOM:

1966

Flight number:

AV410

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

136

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

143

Captain / Total flying hours:

9727

Captain / Total hours on type:

4050.00

Copilot / Total hours on type:

340

Aircraft flight hours:

43848

Circumstances:

Avianca flight 410 was destroyed when it impacted El Espartillo Mountain after takeoff from Cúcuta Airport in Colombia. All 143 occupants sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft, a Boeing 727-21 operated flight AV410 from Bucaramanga to Barranquilla, with en route stops at Cúcuta and Cartagena. Because the originally planned aircraft was not available, HK-1716 was prepared for the flight. This resulted in a departure delay of 2 hours and 30 minutes. The flight landed at Cúcuta at 12:28 local time. At 13:06, the pilot requested clearance to start, but he was told there was a 10-minute delay because of three incoming aircraft. The crew immediately requested clearance for a climb on course ("Why not clear us to climb on course to avoid delaying this flight further? We're: pretty far behind") and the tower granted their request at 13:08: "OK, cleared for engine start, climb on course VMC, report ready to taxi, temperature 28°". This, added to the anomalous presence in the cockpit of another pilot whose loquaciousness continually disrupted the work of all the crew members, affected the way in which the pilot supervised the actions of his co-pilot, who was Pilot Flying. There was no crew briefing, nor did the pilot-in command give any instructions for the VMC departure. Two minutes later the tower controller instructed them to taxi to runway 33. At 13:12 the tower reported, "Cleared to Cartagena via Uniform Whisky 19, Whisky 7, Whisky 10, climb and maintain two six zero after takeoff, climb on course VMC, QNH ....correction transponder Alpha 2216". Take-off clearance was issued at 13:13. The initial climb path followed the extended runway centre line to the inner marker, at which point the aircraft entered a continuous left turn. At 13:17 the pilot said to the copilot, "In any case, start turning right." Subsequently the aircraft struck the peak of El Espartillo at an elevation of 6,343 feet.

Probable cause:

The accident was the consequence of the following active and passive factors:
1. Active:
A. Personnel factors - Pilot-in-command - Procedures, Regulations and instructions
a) Diverted attention from operation of aircraft and failed to exercise adequate and constant supervision over the performance of his co-pilot;
b) Tolerated inappropriate interference with cockpit discipline by authorized persons with access to the flight deck;
c) Continued VFR flight into IMC.
B. Personnel factor - Non-crew pilot in cockpit - Procedures, regulations and instructions
Interfered constantly with the normal operation of the aircraft, distracting the crew from the efficient execution of their duties.
2. Passive
A. Personnel factor- Crew- Procedures, regulations and instructions: lack of teamwork on the part of the crew, reflected in the failure to coordinate the instructions needed to take off and climb out in VMC using a profile established in accordance with the specific conditions.
B. Other factors - Meeting the schedule: The delays resulting from the change of aircraft for mechanical reasons contributed to the decision by the pilot-in-command to give inappropriate support to company priorities and request to depart, rather than waiting as recommended by the Control Tower, in order to avoid adding to the delays already experienced."

Final Report:

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 in El Poleo: 2 killed

Date & Time: Oct 11, 1987

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

HK-2920

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

Site:

Schedule:

Ocaña – El Poleo

MSN:

419

YOM:

1974

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

While approaching El Poleo, the crew encountered limited visibility due to poor weather conditions. On final, the aircraft was too low and struck the top of a hill located few km from the landing area. Both pilots were killed while all seven passengers were rescued.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 near Oroque: 4 killed

Date & Time: Dec 19, 1979

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter

Operator:

Anson Drilling Company

Registration:

HK-1710-W

Flight Phase:

Executive/Corporate/Business

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Barranquilla - Cúcuta

MSN:

252

YOM:

1969

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew departed Barranquilla-Ernesto Cortissoz Airport under VFR mode. En route, weather conditions worsened and while cruising at 11,500 feet, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain located near Oroque. The wreckage was found three days later and all four occupants were killed, among them two Mexican employees of the Anson Drilling Company, a Colombian Group specialized in Oil and Petroleum business.

Crash of a Douglas C-54D-10-DC Skymaster on Mt Toledo: 21 killed

Date & Time: Dec 18, 1979

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-54 Skymaster

Operator:

Registration:

FAC-1106

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Schedule:

Arauca - Cúcuta

MSN:

10853

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The four engine airplane was descending to Cúcuta-Camilo Daza Airport in limited visibility when, at an altitude of 3,400 meters, it struck the slope of Mt Toledo located about 35 km south from Cúcuta. The airplane was destroyed and all 21 occupants were killed, among them civilians.

Crash of a Douglas C-47 near Sardinata: 4 killed

Date & Time: May 3, 1975 at 0947 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

FAC-663

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Ocaña – Cúcuta

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed Ocaña at 0923LT for an ETA in Cúcuta at 0955LT. This flight was operated for the first time. About eight minutes before ETA, the airplane struck the slope of a mountain located near Sardinata. All three passengers were injured while all four crew members were killed.

Crash of a Vickers 785D Viscount near San Cayetano: 44 killed

Date & Time: Jun 8, 1974 at 1730 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vickers Viscount

Operator:

Registration:

HK-1058

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver

Schedule:

Bucaramanga – Cúcuta

MSN:

380

YOM:

1958

Flight number:

TAO514

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Captain / Total flying hours:

7698

Captain / Total hours on type:

2805.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

880

Copilot / Total hours on type:

370

Aircraft flight hours:

31136

Circumstances:

While descending to Cúcuta-Camilo Daza Airport in good weather conditions at an altitude of 7,000 feet, the four engine airplane went out of control and crashed on the slope of Mt El Retiro located near San Cayetano, about 17 km southwest of Cúcuta Airport. The airplane was totally destroyed and all 44 occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Aircraft structure factor - tail unit, involving the failure in flight of the tailplane spar, so that the left tailplane and elevator became detached and control of the aircraft was lost. An examination of the aircraft wreckage revealed that the upper flange of the left tailplane spar had sustained a fatigue fracture, two distinct areas being visible, namely the area of progressive fatigue and the area of instantaneous failure. This evidence obviously explained the accident, since the already weakened structure was not able to withstand the loads imposed when the aircraft entered an area of turbulence. Laboratory tests subsequently carried out confirmed the failure. Weather conditions were considered as good and was not considered as a contributing factor.

Final Report:

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver near Ocaña: 5 killed

Date & Time: Feb 22, 1968 at 0850 LT

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

HK-559

Flight Phase: