Quito - Tulcán - Cali

On January 28, 2002 at 10:24 AM, Quito - Tulcán - Cali experienced a crash involving Boeing 727-100, operated by Transportes Aéreos Mercantiles Ecuatorianos - TAME, with the event recorded near Mt El Cumbal Nariño.

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

94 people were known to be on board, 94 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 7, crew fatalities: 7, passengers on board: 87, passenger fatalities: 87, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The aircraft departed Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport runway 17 at 1001LT on a flight to Cali with an intermediate stop in Tulcán, carrying 87 passengers and 7 crew members. The flight was completed at an altitude of 18,000 feet on airway G-675 towards Ipiales, south Colombia. At a distance of 29 NM from Tulcán, the crew was cleared to descend to 14,000 feet and was briefed about the last weather conditions at destination. For unknown reasons, the crew failed to comply with the company SOP's and started the descent at an excessive speed of 230 knots while the approach procedure called for a speed of 180 knots. Also, the crew was not following the proper approach track for the Tulcán-Teniente Coronel Luis A. Mantilla Airport. In poor visibility due to clouds, at an altitude of 14,700 feet, the aircraft struck the slope of Mt El Cumbal located about 30 km northwest of Ipiales. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 94 occupants were killed. The wreckage was found 1,400 feet below the summit.

Aircraft reference details include registration HC-BLF, MSN 19692, year of manufacture 1967.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 1.6075°, -77.3790°.