Date:	Saturday 25 July 1998
Time:
Type:	Beechcraft 1900D
Owner/operator:	Avior - Aviones de Oriente
Registration:
MSN:
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67D
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 22
Aircraft damage:	Unknown
Category:	UI
Location:	Saravena -   Colombia
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Caracas-Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS/SVMI)
Destination airport:	Barinas Airport (BNS/SVBI)

Narrative:
Four armed, masked hijackers seized control of an Aviones de Oriente plane during a domestic flight. The hijackers were among 22 people on board the Beechcraft 1900 aircraft, which was en route from Caracas to Barinas State. The hijackers forced the plane to divert to a remote airstrip at a cattle ranch. They released the passengers and crew and took the plane to Colombia, where it was recovered in early August. It is believed that drug traffickers were responsible for this hijacking as they have a history of stealing small and medium-sized aircraft for use in smuggling operations. Two people were arrested in Arauca Department, Colombia, in connection with this hijacking.

Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation 1998 / FAA, Office of Civil Aviation Security

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