Status:	Final
Date:	17 JAN 2002
Time:	11:01
Type:	Fairchild FH-227E
Operator:	Petroproduccion - Unidad de Aviacion
Registration:	HC-AYM
C/n / msn:	511
First flight:	1966
Total airframe hrs:	29154
Cycles:	45178
Engines:	2 Rolls Royce 532-7L Dart
Crew:	Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Passengers:	Fatalities: 21 / Occupants: 21
Total:	Fatalities: 26 / Occupants: 26
Airplane damage:	Written off
Airplane fate:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	Cerro El Tigre (Colombia)
Phase:	En route (ENR)
Nature:	Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:	Quito-Mariscal Sucre Airport (UIO/SEQU), Ecuador
Destination airport:	Lago Agrio Airport (LGQ/SELA), Ecuador

Narrative:
The FH-227 departed Quito at 10:38 for a 37-minute flight to fly workers to an oil site in the Amazon jungle. The VFR flight was conducted at an altitude of 15,500 feet. At 10:50 the crew contacted the Nueva Loja Tower at Lago Agrio and reported near Olmedo. The Tower controller reported that runway 23 was in use and that the weather included a 6 knot wind at 020 degrees, temperature 29 degrees. The crew were then to have turned from 064 to 094 degrees, direct to Lago Agrio. They failed to do so and continued their present heading. After reporting 50 miles out at 10:59, they were cleared to descend. This was the last contact with the flight. The crew continued their descent until the airplane flew into the fog-shrouded side of El Tigre Mountain at an elevation of 11,916 feet.

CAUSA PROBABLE: "La Junta Investigadora de Accidentes estima que la probable causa del accidente fue LA PERDIDA DE LA CONCIENCIA SITUACIONAL por parte de la tripulación, al estar su atención centrada en aspectos que no tenían relación con el vuelo que se desarrollaba y por lo tanto descuidar la función primordial del vuelo que es la conducción de la aeronave y la toma de decisiones."
FACTORES CONTRIBUYENTES:
- La falla de la tripulación en mantener una cabina estéril
- La distracción continua de la tripulación durante todo el vuelo
- La falta de documentación técnica en la CIA que soporte la actividad aérea.
- La falta de instrucción de la tripulación en CRM, factores humanos y CFIT
- Las condiciones meteorológicas existentes al momento del accidente en el cerro El Tigre que imposibilitaron que la tripulación divise la montaña.
- La falta de sistemas de defensa en la aeronave (sistema de advertencia de proximidad con el terreno GPWS)

Events:

Sources:
» El Universo
» NTSB