Colombia: Satena plane carrying 13 passengers, two crew members goes missing; airline issues statement

A Satena plane carrying 13 passengers, two crew members went missing near Colombia's border with Venezuela on Wednesday. The aircraft is said to be a smaller model, a Beechcraft 1900, registered as HK-4709.

The plane departed from the border city of Cúcuta and lost contact with the control tower shortly before it was scheduled to land. The airline mentioned it was due to arrive nearly at 12:05 pm in the nearby town of Ocana. Security and search protocols have been activated, the air authority said.

“SATENA, the airline of Colombians, informs the public that flight NSE 8849, which covered the Cucuta-Ocana route, took off at approximately 11:42 am, and was scheduled to land around 12:05 pm, reported its last contact with air traffic control at 11:54 am today, January 28. The aircraft, a Beechcraft 1900 registration HK4709, operated by the company SEARCA, was carrying 13 passengers and 2 crew members,” the airline said on X.

Satena said it has deployed all available resources, working in coordination with the Colombian Aerospace Force Command and Control Center and the Civil Aeronautics Technical and Accident Investigation Directorate, to conduct the search for the missing aircraft.

The airline added that a dedicated phone line, (601) 9193333, has been set up to provide families of those on board with official updates.

Minister of Transport reacts

Mafe Rojas, Minister of Transport of Colombia took to X and stated, “The Directorate of Accident Investigation of @AerocivilCol reports that it is currently gathering information regarding the loss of communication with aircraft HK4709, which was operating the Cúcuta - Ocaña route with 13 passengers and 2 crew members."

She said that the relevant protocols have been activated and that PMU operations have already begun. The minister added that they are supporting the aeronautical authorities in carrying out the required procedures for such situations.

Previous related incident

Indonesian rescuers recovered a body on Sunday while searching for 11 people aboard a plane that crashed near a mountainous area on Sulawesi island, as per AP.

Muhammad Arif Anwar, head of Makassar’s Search and Rescue Office, said the body of a man was found in a ravine about 200 meters (656 feet) deep on the slope of Mount Bulusaraung, close to scattered aircraft debris.

Search teams also located additional wreckage, including parts of the fuselage, passenger seats, and what is believed to be the engine of the ATR 42-500 turboprop that went down on Saturday afternoon, Anwar added.

The aircraft, operated by Indonesia Air Transport, had been travelling from Yogyakarta on Java, Indonesia’s main island, to Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, when it disappeared from radar shortly after air traffic control instructed it to adjust its approach alignment.

On board were eight crew members and three passengers from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, participating in an airborne maritime surveillance mission.