Investigation Summary
The investigation revealed a systemic failure in operational safety and oversight. The flight plan filed by LaMia was illegal under international regulations (ICAO Annex 6): the estimated flight time was equal to the aircraft's total fuel endurance (4 hours and 22 minutes), leaving zero reserve fuel. Furthermore, the plan failed to list a required second alternate airport. A planned refueling stop at Cobija was abandoned because the airport closed at night, yet the crew proceeded directly to Medellín. Upon arrival, the flight was placed in a holding pattern due to another aircraft's priority landing. The crew requested priority but failed to use the word 'emergency' or 'Mayday' for several minutes. This delay was likely influenced by the Captain's role as a co-owner of the airline; declaring a fuel emergency would have triggered a mandatory investigation by aviation authorities, potentially resulting in heavy fines or the loss of the airline's operating license. By the time they declared a total electrical and fuel failure, the engines had already flamed out, and the aircraft lacked the altitude to glide to the runway.
Final Conclusions
The Colombian Civil Aviation Authority (Aerocivil) concluded the primary cause was fuel exhaustion resulting from inappropriate flight planning by the airline and poor decision-making by the crew. The crew was aware of the critical fuel state but failed to land at an intermediate airport (such as Leticia or Bogotá) to refuel. Contributing factors included the airline's lack of safety management, the crew's loss of situational awareness, and the late declaration of an emergency which prevented Air Traffic Control from providing immediate priority.
Photographic Evidence (1)
Video Analysis
LaMia Flight 2933: When Pilots Push Their Luck Too Far — A detailed breakdown of the Chapecoense disaster, examining how a series of reckless operational decisions and fuel mismanagement led to the tragic crash in Colombia.
If playback is blocked, the owner has disabled embedding — use the link above.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
Co-owner of LaMia and flight instructor.
First Officer
Received type rating five months prior to the accident.
Systems & Failure Modes
Fuel Supply System
The four Lycoming LF507-1F engines suffered sequential flameouts due to total fuel exhaustion.
TCAS
Traffic Collision Avoidance System; used by the crew to monitor other aircraft in the holding pattern while they descended without authorization.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft's maximum range was almost exactly equal to the distance of the flight (2,983 km).
- 02The flight plan was approved by Bolivian authorities despite lacking a required alternate airport and reserve fuel.
- 03The Captain, Miguel Quiroga, was also a co-owner of the airline, creating a conflict of interest between safety and operating costs.
- 04The aircraft was estimated to be overweight by approximately 348 kg at takeoff.
- 05Six people survived the impact: three players (Alan Ruschel, Neto, and Jakson Follmann), two crew members (flight attendant Ximena Suárez and technician Erwin Tumiri), and one journalist (Rafael Henzel).
Safety Actions & Advisories
Flight Plan Oversight
Recommendations were made to strengthen the verification of flight plans by civil aviation authorities to ensure mandatory fuel reserves are met before departure.
Emergency Declaration Training
Emphasis was placed on the necessity for pilots to use standardized terminology (Mayday) immediately when fuel levels reach a critical state, regardless of potential administrative penalties.