Investigation Summary
Flight 256 was significantly delayed by over six hours due to maintenance issues involving the aircraft's electrical system on a previous leg. During the eventual night flight to Cartagena, the crew began a descent from FL310. The investigation revealed that the captain's altimeter (Altimeter No. 1) failed and remained fixed at 16,200 feet. Because the cockpit lighting for the first officer's instrument panel was inoperative, the crew failed to notice the discrepancy between the two altimeters. Believing they were still at a safe altitude, the pilots continued the descent until the aircraft struck a marshy lagoon near María La Baja. The lack of radar coverage in the area meant air traffic controllers could not warn the crew of their actual altitude. A nine-year-old girl, Erika Delgado, survived the impact and subsequent explosion, reportedly shielded by her mother who pushed her into a pile of vegetation.
Final Conclusions
The primary cause was the crew's loss of vertical situational awareness caused by the failure of the No. 1 altimeter. Contributing factors included the lack of illumination for the No. 2 altimeter, which prevented cross-checking, the failure of the altitude alert system linked to the faulty No. 1 altimeter, and the crew's complacency fostered by clear weather conditions. The investigation also noted the airline's insufficient training for such instrument failures and highlighted that the flight training program may not have been properly authorized by the civil aviation authority (Aerocivil). The possible failure or lack of response to the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) was also noted, though the Cockpit Voice Recorder was inoperative.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
Intercontinental de Aviación Flight 256 Aftermath Footage | 10 January 1995 Maria La Baja, Colombia — Archival news footage showing the crash site in the marshy lagoon and an interview regarding the condition of the sole survivor, Erika Delgado.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Andrés Patacón, age 39
First Officer
Luis Ríos, age 36
Systems & Failure Modes
Altimeter No. 1
Failed during descent, providing a false static reading of 16,200 feet to the captain.
Instrument Lighting
The lights for the first officer's instruments were failed, preventing the crew from seeing the correct altitude on the No. 2 altimeter.
GPWS
Ground Proximity Warning System; either failed to activate or the crew had insufficient time to react to its warnings.
CVR
Cockpit Voice Recorder; was found to be inoperative, hindering the investigation into crew coordination.
FDR
Flight Data Recorder; functional and provided critical data showing an increased descent rate around 5,000 feet and the extension of speed brakes.
Interesting Facts
- 01The No. 1 altimeter was found frozen at 16,200 feet at the impact site.
- 02The No. 2 altimeter was functional but its cockpit lighting was inoperative.
- 03The sole survivor was 9-year-old Erika Delgado, who suffered only a broken arm and minor bruises.
- 04The aircraft was nearly 29 years old at the time of the accident.
- 05Local residents who arrived at the site were reported to have looted the wreckage and victims.
- 06The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) was inoperative at the time of the crash.
Safety Actions & Advisories
Radar Infrastructure
The investigation highlighted the need for improved radar coverage in the Cartagena and Barranquilla regions to provide secondary altitude verification for controllers.
Crew Training Standards
Recommendations were made regarding the adequacy of airline training programs concerning instrument failure recognition and situational awareness.
Location
ACCIDENT SITE · Coordinates taken from the wikidata coordinate.