Bogotá – Arauca

On February 10, 1991 at 11:40 AM, Bogotá – Arauca experienced a crash involving Douglas C-118 Liftmaster, operated by Air Colombia, with the event recorded near Bogotá-El Dorado Bogotá Capital District.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a plain, valley crash site.

85 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 85 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 5, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 80, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. The four engine aircraft was chartered by the Colombian Army to transfer 80 soldiers from Bogotá to Arauca. They were seating on the cabin floor with their equipment. In the morning, the crew encountered technical problems after takeoff from Bogotá Airport and was forced to return. After repairs were completed, the aircraft departed again before noon. During initial climb, the engine n°1 caught fire. The crew declared an emergency and was cleared to return when the fire spread to the engine n°2. The captain realized he could not reach the airport so he attempted an emergency landing in a pasture located 16 km from the airfield. The aircraft belly landed and slid for about 400 meters before coming to rest, bursting into flames. All 85 occupants escaped uninjured while the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

Aircraft reference details include registration HK-1702, MSN 44670, year of manufacture 1955.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 4.6163°, -74.0738°.