Taxi Aereo el Venado — Flight HK-127

On January 15, 1976, a Douglas DC-4 operated by Taxi Aereo el Venado crashed into a mountain peak in the Eastern Cordillera while performing a domestic charter flight. The aircraft had departed Bogota for La Macarena with 13 people on board. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported his departure and intended to check in at the next reporting point, El Boqueron, but no further communications were received. The wreckage was discovered three hours later near Chipaque at an elevation of 3,540 meters (11,610 feet). The investigation determined the aircraft flew into a mountain peak that was obscured by clouds, resulting in the deaths of all 10 passengers and 3 crew members.

Aircraft

Douglas DC-4

Registration

HK-127

Phase

Cause

Souls on Board

Fatalities

Origin → Dest

El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá, Colombia → La Macarena Airport, Colombia

Report

Investigation Summary

The accident aircraft, registration HK-127, was a Douglas C-54E (a military variant of the DC-4) originally delivered to the United States Army Air Force on January 26, 1944. After decades of service with Pan Am and Avianca, it was acquired by Taxi Aereo el Venado in 1972. On the day of the accident, the flight was operating as a domestic charter. The aircraft took off from Bogota at 11:37 local time. The pilot's last transmission confirmed the departure and stated the crew would report again over El Boqueron. When the aircraft failed to make this report, Air Traffic Control attempted to establish contact without success. Local authorities in Chipaque eventually located the crash site, confirming the aircraft had impacted one of the peaks of the Eastern Cordillera. The site was approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Bogota. Weather conditions at the time included low cloud cover that completely obscured the high terrain, a critical factor in the controlled flight into terrain.

Final Conclusions

The accident was classified as Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). The aircraft impacted a mountain peak in the Eastern Cordillera at an altitude of 11,610 feet while the terrain was hidden by clouds. All 13 occupants perished in the impact, and the aircraft was destroyed.

Video Analysis

No video analysis linked for this case file yet.

Systems & Failure Modes

Terrain Awareness

The aircraft lacked modern Ground Proximity Warning Systems (GPWS), which were not standard on older DC-4 airframes in 1976, leaving the crew reliant on visual reference and altimetry in mountainous terrain.

Interesting Facts

01The aircraft was a former military Douglas C-54E built in Chicago and delivered to the USAAF on January 26, 1944.
02The crash site was located approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Bogota.
03The mountain peak was obscured by clouds at the time of the impact.
04There were no survivors among the 10 passengers and 3 crew members.
05The impact occurred in the Eastern Cordillera at an elevation of 3,540 meters.

Safety Actions & Advisories

GPWS Implementation

Source ↗

Following a series of CFIT accidents involving older transport aircraft in mountainous regions, international aviation authorities accelerated the mandate for Ground Proximity Warning Systems (GPWS) on all large commercial aircraft to provide flight crews with automated alerts of terrain proximity.

Location

Near Chipaque, Colombia · 4.4000, -73.8255

Case File History

2026-AUG-15Final reportUpdated investigation summary, final conclusions and findings.
2026-AUG-15Final reportUpdated investigation summary, final conclusions, findings and safety actions.