Date & Time:
Jul 23, 1999 at 0330 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-7 (Dash-7)
Operator:
Registration:
N5382W
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Apiay - Apiay
MSN:
95
YOM:
1982
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
7
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The crew (five US citizens and two Colombians) departed Apiay AFB near Villavicencio at 0230LT on an anti-narcotic control flight over the southern part of Colombia and along the border with Ecuador. About an hour into the flight, while cruising at an altitude of 7,000 feet in limited visibility, the four engine aircraft struck the slope of Mt Patascoy de Santa Lucía (3,923 meters high) located about 35 km southeast of San Juan de Pasto. The wreckage was found five days later at an altitude of 2,100 metres. The aircraft was destroyed and all seven occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain due to navigational errors on part of the flying crew. The following contributing factors were identified:
- The crew input wrong settings in the Flight Management System, causing the aircraft to deviate from the initial prescribed route and to fly over a mountainous area,
- The crew was relatively inexperienced,
- Crew complacency,
- Lack of visibility due to the night,
- Lack of ground visual references,
- Crew fatigue due to an insufficient rest time.
- The crew input wrong settings in the Flight Management System, causing the aircraft to deviate from the initial prescribed route and to fly over a mountainous area,
- The crew was relatively inexperienced,
- Crew complacency,
- Lack of visibility due to the night,
- Lack of ground visual references,
- Crew fatigue due to an insufficient rest time.
