Bogotá – Medellín – New York

On January 25, 1990 at 09:34 PM, Bogotá – Medellín – New York experienced a crash involving Boeing 707, operated by Avianca, with the event recorded near Cove Neck New York.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a plain, valley crash site.

158 people were known to be on board, 73 fatalities were recorded, 85 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 46.2%.

Crew on board: 9, crew fatalities: 8, passengers on board: 149, passenger fatalities: 65, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. Avianca flight 052 (AV052), a Boeing 707-321B with Colombian registration HK-2016, crashed in a wooded residential area in Cove Neck, Long Island, NY. AV052 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Bogotá, Colombia, to New York-JFK Intl Airport, NY, with an intermediate stop at Jose Maria Cordova Airport, near Medellín, Columbia. Of the 158 persons aboard, 73 were fatally injured. Because of poor weather conditions in the northeastern part of the United States, the flightcrew was placed in holding 3 times by ATC for a total of about 1 hour and 17 minutes. During the 3rd period of holding, the flightcrew reported that the aircraft could not hold longer than 5 minutes, that it was running out of fuel, and that it could not reach its alternate airport, Boston-Logan Intl. Subsequently, the flightcrew executed a missed approach to JFK Intl Airport. While trying to return to the airport, the aircraft experienced a loss of power to all 4 engines and crashed approximately 21 miles northeast of JFK Airport.

Aircraft reference details include registration HK-2016, MSN 19276/592, year of manufacture 1967.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 40.8823°, -73.5060°.