Santa Cruz - Medellín

On November 28, 2016 at 09:58 PM, Santa Cruz - Medellín experienced a crash involving Avro RJ85, operated by LAMIA Bolivia - Línea Aérea Mérida Internacional de Aviación, with the event recorded near La Ceja Antioquia.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a mountains crash site.

77 people were known to be on board, 71 fatalities were recorded, 6 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 92.2%.

Crew on board: 4, crew fatalities: 3, passengers on board: 73, passenger fatalities: 68, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The aircraft was performing a charter flight from Santa Cruz-Viru Viru to Medellín-José María Córdova (Rionegro) Airport, carrying members of the Chapecoense Real soccer team from Brazil who were traveling to Medellín to play against Atletico Nacional for a Copa Sudamericana game. The descent to Medellín was started by night and in good weather conditions when it seems that the encountered electrical problem. At 2156LT, while descending to FL155, the four engine aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located on the slope of a mountain located in the Cerro Gordo, near the city of La Ceja, about 17 km south from runway 01 threshold. The aircraft was totally destroyed upon impact but there was no fire. Six (two crew member and four passengers) were injured and evacuated while 71 other occupants were killed. According to first investigations, the crew encountered electrical problems and the aircraft may have suffered a fuel exhaustion. Due to the combination of several factors and findings that were detected during initial investigations, it was determined that the primary cause of the accident may have been a fuel exhaustion. The board of investigation was then in a process to determine the exact circumstances of the occurrence and to understand the course of events and the exact behavior and flight supervision (instruments, fuel jauges, flight preparation, operations, permission, ground assistance) on part of the flight crew and the operator. On December 2, the Civil Aviation Authority of Bolivia revoked with immediate effect the Air Operator Certificate of LAMIA. All flights have been suspended since.

Aircraft reference details include registration CP-2933, MSN E.2348, year of manufacture 1999.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 5.9843°, -75.4475°.