ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-3C HK-4700 San Vicente del Caguán
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Thursday 8 May 2014
Time:12:02
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC3 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Douglas DC-3C
Operator:ALIANSA Colombia
Registration: HK-4700
MSN: 9700
First flight: 1943
Total airframe hrs:27771
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92
Crew:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Passengers:Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Total:Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:45 km (28.1 mls) N of San Vicente del Caguán (   Colombia)
Crash site elevation: 1981 m (6499 feet) amsl
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:Cargo
Departure airport:Villavicencio-La Vanguardia Airport (VVC/SKVV), Colombia
Destination airport:Florencia Airport (FLA/SKFL), Colombia
Narrative:
A DC-3 cargo plane operated by ALIANSA Colombia was destroyed when it impacted mountainous terrain north of San Vicente del Caguán, Colombia. All occupants sustained fatal injuries.
The aircraft, HK-4700, operated on a non-scheduled cargo flight from Villavicencio (VVC) to Florencia (FLA). The takeoff weight was 11,430 kg which included a cargo of 2540 kg. A VFR flight plane was filed with an en route altitude of 6500 feet.
Takeoff was accomplished at 11:15 hours local time. Last radio contact with the flight was at 11:44 hours when the crew reported abeam Uribe. As the flight progressed, visibility deteriorated due to clouds and the crew had difficulty maintaining visual flight. The airplane deviated to the west of the planned route in order to remain visual. This took the flight over mountains with an elevation higher than the en route altitude of the aircraft. After losing visual contact with the ground, the airplane impacted the wooded side of a mountain at about 6500 feet.

Probable Cause:

Probable Causes (translated from Spanish)
Failure in evaluating the hazards and risks in the flight planning and decision making related to the execution of a VFR flight between the cities of Villavicencio and Florencia, without verifying the area's minimum altitudes.
Untimely interruption of a flight in VFR conditions that resulted in an unexpected flight in IMC.
Loss of situational awareness after continueing the flight in adverse weather conditions that resulted in an impact against mountainous terrain.

Accident investigation:

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Investigating agency: Aerocivil Colombia
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 11 months
Accident number: COL-14-11-GIA
Download report: Final report

Classification:
VFR flight in IMC
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain

Sources:
» Colombian Air Force


Photos

photo of Douglas-DC-3C-HK-4700
accident date: 08-05-2014
type: Douglas DC-3C
registration: HK-4700
photo of Douglas-DC-3C-HK-4700
accident date: 08-05-2014
type: Douglas DC-3C
registration: HK-4700
photo of Douglas-DC-3C-HK-4700
accident date: 08-05-2014
type: Douglas DC-3C
registration: HK-4700
photo of Douglas-DC-3C-N47FK
accident date: 08-05-2014
type: Douglas DC-3C
registration: N47FK
photo of Douglas-DC-3C-N47FK
accident date: 08-05-2014
type: Douglas DC-3C
registration: N47FK
 

Video, social media

Aircraft history
date registration operator remarks
15 JUN 1943 42-23838 USAAF delivered
13 JUN 1946 NC49538 flying for a.o. Mt. McKinley Air Freight and Proctor & Gamble
12 FEB 1951 N3W Proctor & Gamble new registration
14 JAN 1954 N3PG Proctor & Gamble new registration
12 FEB 1969 N308FN flying for a.o. First National Stores
29 JUL 1973 CF-EEX flying for a.o. Golfe Air Quebec
OCT 1979 C-FEEX flying for a.o. Air Gava
26 MAY 1982 N2669A Century Airlines bought
02 JUL 1992 EC-187 Aeromarket/ARM bought
03 AUG 1992 EC-FNS Aeromarket/ARM new registration
22 SEP 1998 N47FK flying out of U.K. for a.o. South Coast Airways
12 APR 2010 HK-4700 LASER Aéro Colombia bought
06 NOV 2010 HK-4700 LASER Aéro Colombia ran into a trench Guerima Airport; damaged
HK-4700 ALIANSA

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Villavicencio-La Vanguardia Airport to Florencia Airport as the crow flies is 358 km (223 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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