Small Plane Carrying Five People Goes Missing in Colombia
A Cessna T206 with five people on board went missing this Sunday, September 13, while traveling between Condoto, in the department of Choco, and Guaymaral Airport, north of Bogota. Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority activated search-and-rescue protocols after communication with the aircraft was lost. The plane, registered as HK4985, belongs to the Colombian Civil Air Patrol.
The last contact with the aircraft was recorded at 9:23 a.m. Minutes later, authorities received a signal from an emergency locator beacon in the vicinity of Tatama Hill, a mountainous and forested area located between the departments of Choco, Risaralda, and Valle del Cauca.
So far, the exact location of the aircraft and the condition of the five people on board have not been confirmed.
Small plane carrying five people goes missing in Colombia
According to information provided by the Civil Aviation Authority, the aircraft took off from Condoto Airport bound for Guaymaral. One pilot and four passengers were on board, according to the flight records.
The last communication took place at 9:23 a.m., after which authorities began working to determine the possible location where the emergency may have occurred. Later, the aircraft’s emergency locator beacon transmitted a signal that helped narrow the search area near Tatamá Hill. The signal was detected approximately 53 miles from Pereira.
The information available so far does not establish whether the aircraft was involved in an accident, made an emergency landing, or what situation led to the activation of the emergency locator beacon. The Civil Aviation Authority has also not released the identities of those on board.
In response to the emergency, the aviation authority activated the Search and Rescue Service, known as SAR, with the goal of locating the aircraft and determining what happened during the flight.
The operation is being coordinated with the National Police, the National Army, and rescue agencies. Teams are working to reach the area where the emergency signal was detected and determine the aircraft’s location.
One of the main obstacles to the search effort is the geography of the area. The Civil Aviation Authority said the region is difficult to access because of its mountainous and forested terrain. This could complicate the movement of ground teams and the operations that will need to be carried out once the exact location of the emergency is determined.
Investigative team also being prepared
As search efforts continue, the Civil Aviation Authority’s Technical Directorate for Accident Investigation has begun preparing a team of investigators to enter the area once conditions allow.
The specialists’ objective will be to determine the circumstances surrounding the emergency and establish the causes of the incident. However, their entry will depend on locating the aircraft and on the safety conditions encountered by rescue teams on the ground.
For now, the authorities’ priority is to locate the Cessna T206 and verify the condition of its five occupants. The Civil Aviation Authority said it will keep the public informed as the operation progresses and new information about the emergency becomes available.
The search is focused especially on the area around Tatama Hill, where the emergency beacon signal was detected. As teams attempt to reach the area, authorities are continuing search efforts to determine the whereabouts of the aircraft that was heading toward Bogota.