MIAMI - Satena Airlines Flight HK4709 departed Cúcuta at 11:42 a.m. on Wednesday, heading for Ocaña, a municipality in Norte de Santander, when the aircraft, a Beechcraft 1900, lost all communication with air traffic control, carrying a total of 15 on board, with two crew members and 13 passengers.
Satena Airlines, an airliner owned by the Colombian government, has yet to release information on what caused the aircraft to crash, but did release a statement saying the aircraft made its last radio contact at 11:54 a.m. while flying at an altitude of 7,900 feet, then later lost contact in the Catatumbo region.
The northern Colombian region has witnessed tremendous upheaval for years, surrounded by thick, mountainous terrain, and recently ravaged by guerrilla violence from sparring factions of the ELN and the 33rd Front, a FARC dissident group, competing over the lucrative drug routes along the Venezuelan border.
Satena also stated that the flight’s emergency beacon was not activated, suggesting either mechanical issues or the possibility that the pilot crew may have somehow been incapacitated.
Local authorities from Curasica, Playa de Belén, Norte de Santander, eventually notified federal authorities of the believed crash site, as the Colombian army quickly deployed a search and rescue team to make contact with the fallen aircraft.
The government later announced to the public that there were no survivors aboard Flight HK4709.
A Colombian congressman, Diógenes Quintero, a member of Colombia’s House of Representatives for Catatumbo, and congressional candidate Carlos Salcedo Salazar, were both aboard the domestic flight.
Quintero’s team said they lost contact with Congressman Quintero after the plane vanished. The Governor’s Office of Norte de Santander released a statement following the tragedy:
“We express our solidarity and heartfelt condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the victims,” the office said.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro also wrote on X, “I am deeply sorry for these deaths. My full solidarity to their families, and may they rest in peace.”
