Investigation Summary
The flight was a short-haul domestic leg between Maracaibo and Santa Barbara del Zulia. Shortly after departure, the crew misconfigured their navigation equipment by selecting a course of 153 degrees instead of the required 193 degrees, leading the aircraft away from the safe corridor and toward the rugged terrain of the Andes. The region of the crash, Páramo Los Torres, was notorious among local pilots for its steep peaks and persistent heavy fog, earning it the nickname 'The Guillotine' (La Guillotina). The investigation revealed significant cockpit distractions: an unauthorized third person was present in the cockpit, and the crew was listening to a commercial radio station on the ADF frequency. Although the aircraft was equipped with a Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS), it only sounded seconds before impact. Due to the steep terrain and the crew's delayed reaction, the warning was insufficient to prevent the disaster.
Final Conclusions
The investigation concluded that the primary cause was pilot error, specifically a navigational mistake where the crew entered a course of 153 degrees instead of the required 193 degrees into the VOR system. This led to a significant course deviation into mountainous terrain. Contributing factors included dense fog obscuring the peaks, the presence of an unauthorized person in the cockpit, and the distraction of the crew listening to commercial radio. While the GPWS functioned, the warning occurred too late to allow for a successful recovery in the steep terrain.
Video Analysis
Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela Flight 108 CVR Recording — A reconstruction and recording related to the 1991 crash of Aeropostal Flight 108 in the Venezuelan Andes.
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Systems & Failure Modes
VOR Navigation
The crew selected the wrong radial (153 degrees instead of 193 degrees) on the VOR receiver, leading to a significant course deviation.
GPWS
The aircraft was equipped with a Ground Proximity Warning System, but it provided a warning only seconds before impact, which was too late for the crew to clear the steep terrain.
ADF
The Automatic Direction Finder was being used by the crew to listen to a commercial radio station, contributing to cockpit distraction.
Interesting Facts
- 01The crash site, Páramo Los Torres, is nicknamed 'The Guillotine' or 'Russian roulette of the Andes' due to its history of aviation accidents.
- 02The aircraft was 14 years old at the time of the accident, having been manufactured in 1976.
- 03All 45 people on board, including 40 passengers and 5 crew members, perished in the impact.
- 04The flight is frequently referred to as both Flight 108 and Flight 109 in various records.
- 05The aircraft involved was a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32, a common short-haul workhorse in Venezuela at the time.
Safety Actions & Advisories
GPWS Mandates
The accident reinforced the necessity for Ground Proximity Warning Systems on all commercial aircraft operating in mountainous regions.
Navigational Cross-Checking
Increased emphasis was placed on flight crew coordination and double-checking navigational inputs during short-haul domestic flights.