Date & Time:
Dec 29, 1977
Type of aircraft:
Vickers Viscount
Operator:
Registration:
HC-BEM
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Guayaquil - Cuenca
MSN:
183
YOM:
1956
Country:
Ecuador
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
20
Pax fatalities:
20
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
24
Circumstances:
The crew filed an IFR flight plan from Guayaquil to Cuenca. After passing over the city of Puna, he decided to cancel the flight plan and continued under VFR mode. While descending to Cuenca, pilots encountered low clouds and failed to realize his altitude was insufficient when the four engine airplane struck the slope of a mountain located few km from the airport. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all 24 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Following several negligences, the crew started the descent prematurely under VFR mode in clouds, causing the aircraft to continue below the minimum prescribed altitude until it struck the mountain (controlled flight into terrain).
