Serranía del Baudó

The twin engine airplane departed Nuquí Airport at 1256LT on a flight to Quibdó, carrying two passengers and one pilot. Two minutes after takeoff, the pilot informed ATC he was flying at an altitude of 1,500 feet and estimated his ETA at Quibdó-El Caraño Airport at 1315LT. Nine minutes into the flight, while cruising in IMC conditions, the aircraft contacted trees and crashed in a dense wooded area located near Serranía del Baudó, some 50 km north of Nuquí. SAR operations were initiated but the wreckage was found five days later only. Both passengers, a female aged 18 and her baby aged 8 months were evacuated with minor injuries while the pilot was killed. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces.

The single engine airplane was completing a charter flight from Turbo to Medellín with an intermediate stop in Juradó. About 20 minutes after its departure from Juradó, the airplane disappeared and the pilot did not send any distress call. As the airplane failed to arrive in Medellín, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the six occupants was found. The wreckage was found 12 years later in an isolated and uninhabited area near Serranía del Baudó, about 100 km south from the route Juradó - Medellín.

The aircraft departed Bahía Solano at 1020LT on a non-scheduled domestic flight to Quibdó carrying a crew of 4 and probably 36 passengers. Following departure the aircraft was not hear by any radio station, and there is no knowledge of any departure information or position report having been received from it. The accident occurred at 1045LT. The wreckage of the aircraft was located four days later about 31 miles from the airport on Bonito Peak, at an elevation of 2,400 feet. The aircraft was destroyed and all 40 occupants were killed. The aircraft's certificate permitted it to carry 31 persons, including crew members. However, at the time of the accident the following were believed to be aboard: 4 crew, 29 passengers, 5 infants in arms and 2 children. The Colombian Civil Aeronautics Department had introduced a weight limit of 11,431 kg for all aircraft of this type engaged in passenger transport in Colombia. At the time of the accident the aircraft's weight was about 12,002 kg, i.e. 571 kg in excess of the figure allowed for aircraft engaged in passenger transport. As Bahía Solano is a fourth category airport the pilot-in-command should have completed a weight and balance manifest. He failed to do so.