Date & Time: Mar 5, 2004 at 1755 LT
Registration:
HC-CBK
Flight Phase:
Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Machala – Guayaquil
MSN:
4080
YOM:
1971
Country:
Ecuador
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
12
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Aircraft flight hours:
2977
Circumstances:
En route from Machala to Guayaquil, while cruising at an altitude of 6,000 feet in rain showers, the left engine lost power. The crew shut down the engine and feathered the propeller then decided to continue at an altitude of 600 feet and a speed of 80 knots. Several attempts to restart the left engine were unsuccessful when the right engine lost power as well. Unable to maintain a safe altitude, the crew attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in a river, some 23 km south of Guayaquil. All 14 occupants escaped with minor injuries and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.
Probable cause:
A possible failure of the hydraulic pump on the left engine due to poor maintenance.