Investigation Summary
Flight 304 was a multi-stop domestic service from Santiago to Antofagasta. While preparing to land for its first scheduled stop at La Serena, the Fairchild F-27A experienced a total loss of power in its left engine. The aircraft banked left, entered a stall, and impacted the ground in a nose-up attitude approximately 2,000 meters short of the runway (roughly 800 meters from the airport terminal area). The impact occurred in a rural area known as Parcela Seis in Alfalfares. A local television crew from Canal 8 UCV TV, who were already at the airport to film a pre-planned emergency drill, captured footage of the burning wreckage. The pilot in command was the CEO of Aeronor Chile, which had recently expanded from cargo operations into passenger services.
Final Conclusions
The crash was caused by the pilot-in-command's inadequate flight planning and failure to coordinate emergency procedures, which led to a stall after the left engine suffered a total loss of power. The aircraft was at a low altitude in landing configuration when the power loss occurred, and the crew was unable to successfully remedy the resulting stall condition.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Systems & Failure Modes
Engine
The aircraft suffered a malfunction in one of its two engines shortly before landing.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft crashed at an estimated speed of 180 km/h.
- 02All 46 people on board, including 42 passengers and 4 crew members, perished.
- 03The pilot of the aircraft was the CEO of Aeronor Chile.
- 04A television crew filming an emergency drill at the airport captured the immediate aftermath on film.
- 05One of the notable victims was Silvia Pinto, a well-known Chilean news reporter.