Bogotá

Controlled flight into terrain after the crew decided to continue under VFR mode into adverse weather conditions (IMC). En route navigation errors on part of the crew and inadequate training procedures were considered as contributing factors.

Engine failure shortly after takeoff.

Engine failure during initial climb.

The accident was attributed to a maintenance error resulting from inadequate inspection periodic, daily, nightly and transit servicing and consisting in failure to notice the absence of a pin looseness and/or absence of a nut which joins the torsion links of the left landing gear. A possible contributing factor in the accident was pilot error, consisting in involuntary negligence in observing or wrongly interpreting the aircraft instruments during takeoff, at the time of changing over from VFR to IFR flight and/or loss of control of the aircraft by the pilot-in-command when checking the cause of a failure in the landing gear well and no.2 engine.

The pilot of the aircraft in observing the presence of another aircraft abruptly initiated a right turn which ended in an abnormal 'nose below the horizon' attitude, which he was unable to rectify in time. The following factors were considered as contributing:
- Error of other personnel: The pilot of the other aircraft initiated the instrument descent from 12,000 feet after 2 min 55 sec, when the normal time would have been 1 min 15 or 20 sec, in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Bogotá approach-to-land chart and the Manual of Colombian Air Routes approved by the Administrative Directorate of Civil Aeronautics, thereby creating a risk of collision in the air;
- The pilot of the subject aircraft had been flying on DC-4s and C-46s as well as DC-3s. The psychological reaction of the pilot at a critical moment was certainly affected by habits acquired on DC-4 and C-46 aircraft.
- Possible failure of equipment (faulty distribution of flight instruments in the cockpit): This is a design effect, since the artificial horizon in the subject type of aircraft was hidden behind the pilot's control column, which made it more difficult to control the flight posture of the machine.

The aircraft was turned during the climb after takeoff at a height insufficient to clear rising ground. The ability of the pilot to avoid the hill may have been affected by some mechanical or other failure, although the occurrence of such a failure was not established. A contributing factor was that the carriage of one pilot was inadequate for the safe operation of an aircraft of this type.

The accident was due to the faulty procedure on the part of the pilot who made the en route climb from Manizales to San Felix at a low altitude, so that the aircraft became trapped in a canyon and crashed in the San Felix pass at La Aguadita after stalling during a turn at 9,000 feet.

The crew continued the approach under VFR mode in IFR conditions.