Villavicencio – Paz de Ariporo – Arauca – Saravena

On July 29, 1972 at 06:53 AM, Villavicencio – Paz de Ariporo – Arauca – Saravena experienced a crash involving Douglas DC-3, operated by Avianca, with the event recorded near Mt Las Palomas Meta.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

21 people were known to be on board, 21 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 3, crew fatalities: 3, passengers on board: 18, passenger fatalities: 18, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. At 0620LT, an Avianca Douglas DC-3A registered HK-107 departed Villavicencio-La Vanguardia Airport on flight AV630 to Saravena via Paz de Ariporo and Arauca with 18 passengers and a crew of three on board. Two minutes later, at 0622LT, a second Avianca Douglas DC-3A registered HK-1341 departed the same airport on a service to Las Gaviotas via Yopal, Trinidad and Orocué with 14 passengers and a crew of tree on board. While cruising by night over the Las Palomas Mountain Range, both aircraft collided and crashed in a mountainous terrain located about 75 km north of Villavicencio-La Vanguardia Airport. Both aircraft were destroyed and all 38 occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration HK-107, MSN 11723, year of manufacture 1943.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 3.7931°, -73.9214°.