On November 21, a Piper 31 Navajo operated by Aeropaca with registration number HK-5121, covering the route between Medellin and Pizarro, crashed, leaving eight people dead, among them two senior executives of the airline Grupo San German Express.
The aircraft, after taking off from Medellín, crashed in a residential area of the city of Antioquia, in the Belén Rosales neighborhood. The impact of the aircraft caused four homes to be evacuated and another twelve to be affected with minor damage. In total, 17 people were evacuated to new locations on behalf of Aeropaca.
According to the preliminary report, shortly after takeoff from Olaya Herrera, the Piper declared an emergency due to engine failure. The team of the Technical Direction of Accident Investigation ruled out other possible causes of the event and will focus on confirming the failure reported by the crew members, in order to determine its origin.
Videos from different sources show that the aircraft was unable to stay in flight and continued in a slight descent until it impacted with the houses.
The technical aspect of the aircraft will also be investigated, such as the weight and roll and the performance calculations under the prevailing environmental conditions of the airport at takeoff time.
On the other hand, the Aeronautical Authority confirmed that the psychophysical fitness, training and proficiency ratings of both pilots were up to date.
At the same time, the aircraft had complied with the required maintenance procedures and was fit to fly.
Victims of HK-5121
The accident caused great commotion in the Colombian community, especially in the departments of Chocó and Antioquia. In addition to the pilots, six passengers were on board: two Marines of the National Navy and the manager/founder of the tour operator San Germán, Nicolás Jiménez, together with his partner and commercial executive of the company, Melissa Pérez.
Nicolás Jiménez is the founder of Grupo San Germán Express virtual, tourist and regional airline, which was founded in 2013 to serve those markets that do not have an airline to boost the region’s economy and tourism.
Currently, San Germán Express airline provides transportation, cargo and parcel services, air quotas, stopover services and charter flights to destinations such as Bahía Solano, Nuquí, Capurganá, Pizarro and Condoto, in Chocó; Medellín, Urrao and El Bagre, in Antioquia; Cartago, in Valle del Cauca; and Montelíbano, in Córdoba.
The company does not have its own aircraft: they are operated by commercial partners such as Searca, Sarpa, Heligolfo, Aeropaca and Helijet.
The mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, assured that Nicolás belonged to his social circle of friends. «He was a man who promoted this type of travel. He had done a wonderful job in connecting deep Colombia. I had a flight with him to Sogamoso less than a month and a half ago», lamented the mayor of the capital of Antioquia.
