SATENA Beechcraft 1900D crashes in remote northern Colombia killing 15
January 29, 2026
A twin-engined Beechcraft 1900D commuter aircraft operated by Colombian state-run airline SATENA has crashed while operating in the northern Santander province of Colombia. The wreckage of the aircraft has been found in a remote location, with all 15 passengers and crew confirmed dead.
SATENA flight NSE8895, operated by Beechcraft 1900D registered as HK-4709, was operating a charter flight from Camilo Daza International Airport (CUC) in the city of Cúcuta to Aguas Clara Airport in Ocaña (OCV) when the accident happened.
A SATENA Beechcraft 1900D crashed with the loss of all 15 onboard
According to the Aviation Safety Network website, flight tracking data showed that HK-4709 had taken off from runway 16 at Cúcuta at 11:42 local time for the 20-minute flight to Ocaña (OCV) located around 65 miles (104 km) to the northwest.
There were two pilots and 13 passengers on board at the time. Among the victims were House Representative Diógenes Quintero Amaya, a 36-year-old human rights advocate and Carlos Salcedo, a congressional candidate in the upcoming Colombian elections.
By around 11:49 local time, the flight had reached 12,900 ft in its climb before beginning to descend. The last radar traces recorded by Flightradar24 showed the aircraft at 7,900 ft, and the last radio transmission was received from the plane at 11:54 local time before contact was lost.
According to the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority (Aerocivil), the last known position of the aircraft was reported between the municipalities of Hacarí and La Playa de Belén, Norte de Santander, Colombia.
According to Reuters, the area is a mountainous region planted with coca leaves (the raw material for cocaine), and where illegal armed groups such as the National Liberation Army and a dissident faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) operate.
Airline confirms the aircraft suffered “a fatal accident”
In a statement, the airline confirmed that its aircraft, HK-4709, had “suffered a fatal accident” and that contact with the plane was lost 11 minutes before it had been scheduled to land in the city of Ocaña, near the Venezuelan border, at 12:05 local time (17:05 GMT) on Wednesday. It added that the aircraft’s emergency beacon had not been activated.
The airline gave no further details, other than stating that the wreckage had been located in a mountainous area known as Curasica in Playa and that seven bodies had so far been recovered by Colombian armed forces. A hotline has since been set up for the relatives of those who were on the plane.
A plane crash in northeast Colombia on Wednesday killed all 15 people on board, including a local lawmaker, state-run airline Satena said.
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) January 29, 2026
The Beechcraft 1900 twin-engined turboprop plane took off before noon from Cucuta, on the border with Venezuela, for a short flight to the… pic.twitter.com/Pn6KznIVu0
The country’s president, Gustavo Petro, expressed his condolences to the families of the victims on X, writing, “I am deeply sorry for these deaths” and calling the accident “a national tragedy.”
Investigators have already begun looking into whether the poor weather conditions in the area at the time or other navigation issues may have played a part in the loss of the aircraft in the remote, conflict-torn area.
The Beechcraft involved in the SATENA crash
Photos posted on social media show that the plane was largely destroyed upon impact, although some larger sections of the rear fuselage and tail structure remain largely intact.
According to Planespotters.net, the aircraft involved first flew in 1994, making it just over 31 years old at the time of the accident. It first flew for Florida Gulf Airlines before going on to fly for USAir Express, Air Midwest, US Airways Express and Mesa Airlines. It began operating for SATENA in December 2024 on lease from fellow Colombian airline SERCA.
Note: This is a developing story and will be updated should new information become available.
Featured image: Daniel Ríos p. / Wikimedia Commons
