Colombian investigators have retrieved both flight recorders from the Satena Beech 1900D which crashed while operating a domestic service on 28 January.
The country’s ministry of transport states that “significant progress” has been made in the technical inquiry into the crash which resulted in 15 fatalities.
Air transport regulator Aeronautica Civil says the flight-data and cockpit-voice recorders – as well as an emergency beacon – have been secured.
“Having the [two recorders] allows us to move forward to a crucial stage of the investigation,” says Aeronautica Civil director Luis Alfonso Chimenty.
“We already have an initial line of inquiry which must be validated with a complete analysis of the data and evidence collected on site.”
The aircraft had been operating a service from Cucuta to Ocana, in the north of Colombia, when it lost contact shortly before its scheduled arrival time.
Its wreckage was subsequently discovered about 10nm east of Ocana. None of the 15 occupants survived the accident.
Colombia’s air accident investigation directorate has completed initial survey to locate relevant components and derive a first approximation of the dynamics of the impact, says the ministry, taking into account “alterations” to the site as individuals accessed the location.
