Colombian Politician Among 15 Casualties in Beechcraft Crash
Colombian authorities are grieving the tragic loss of 13 passengers and two crew members in a SATENA Beechcraft 1900D crash. This unfortunate incident occurred after the aircraft lost contact with air traffic control.
On January 28, 2026, President Gustavo Petro confirmed that communication was lost shortly before noon. The flight, registered as HK-4709, was operating when it vanished from radar.
Search efforts, involving both the Colombian Air Force and National Army, led to the discovery of the aircraft debris in Curasica, located in La Playa de Belén around 16:10.
In the wake of this tragedy, President Petro has directed the Ministry of Transportation and the Civil Aeronautics Authority to investigate the crash thoroughly.
Among the deceased was Diógenes Quintero, a 36-year-old representative for Catatumbo. His loss has been deeply felt across the community.
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On Twitter, @ColombiaOscura shared: “#ATENCIÓN The first images of the downed SATENA airplane in the rural area of Hacarí have emerged. The aircraft was located in a hard-to-access region, where emergency services are currently conducting verification efforts.”
President Petro expressed his condolences on Facebook, stating, “I am deeply saddened by these deaths. My heartfelt condolences to their families. May they rest in peace.”
The SATENA Beechcraft 1900D, operated by SEARCA, had departed from Cúcuta-Camilo Daza Airport around 11:42, aiming to land at Ocaña-Aguas Claras Airport by approximately 12:05.
Government officials indicated that poor weather conditions hampered the search and rescue efforts in the crash vicinity. According to Flightradar24, the last known position of HK-4709 was reported at coordinates 8.199758, -73.13736 at 16:54 UTC.
Oscar Zuluaga, the President of SATENA, addressed the situation with a video statement, expressing the airline’s solidarity with the victims’ families.
SATENA also released a statement, offering their deepest condolences to the loved ones of those involved in the accident and pledging to provide humanitarian assistance while clarifying the incident’s details.
The Civil Aeronautics Authority is set to formally investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragic event. Luis Alfonso Martínez, the Director, noted, “The immediate activation of technical investigation teams has been ordered to rigorously and transparently determine the causes of this regrettable accident in accordance with national and international protocols.”
How do you think such incidents can be prevented in the future?
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