On Jan 28th 2026, a short domestic flight in northeastern Colombia ended in tragedy when a Satena Beech 1900D disappeared from radar during its descent and was later found destroyed on the top of a cloud-covered mountain, killing all 15 people on board.
The aircraft, registration HK-4709, was operating flight 9R-8895 from Cúcuta to Ocaña with 13 passengers and 2 crew. While descending through about 8,000 feet near position N8.20 W73.14, approximately 12 nautical miles east of Ocaña, both radio and radar contact were lost at around 11:54 local time. Air traffic services immediately initiated emergency protocols as the aircraft failed to reappear or respond to calls.
A search and rescue operation was launched in the rugged, mountainous terrain surrounding Ocaña, an area where peaks rise to about 2,600 meters (8,500 feet) above sea level. Search teams eventually located the wreckage in the municipality of La Playa de Belén, between the villages of La Playa and Ábrego, in the Catatumbo region. Authorities confirmed the aircraft had suffered a severe impact on the mountaintop and that there were no survivors.
Colombia’s civil aviation authority, Aerocivil, confirmed the loss of contact and activation of emergency procedures shortly after the aircraft vanished. During a press conference, officials described the crash site as extremely difficult to access, with dense cloud cover and challenging terrain hampering rescue and recovery efforts. The airline stated the flight was operated by SEARCA on behalf of Satena and noted that the emergency locator transmitter had not activated.
Weather conditions in the region may have complicated the flight. While no official METARs were available for Ocaña, the local weather station reported at 12:00 local time a temperature of 26°C, a dew point of 19°C, easterly winds at 5 knots, and patches of fog, with ambient pressure at 978 hPa. The combination of mountainous terrain and reduced visibility underscores the challenges faced by crews operating into Ocaña.
Investigators are now working to determine the sequence of events that led to the aircraft’s sudden disappearance and fatal impact, as Colombia mourns yet another aviation tragedy in one of its most demanding flying environments.
