The aircraft serving the state-owned airline Satena that disappeared from radar shortly before noon on Wednesday was found wrecked in a remote area of the department of Norte de Santander, the company and official sources confirmed. The aircraft, a Beechcraft 1900 with registration HK-4709 operated by the private company SEARCA, was flying the route between Cúcuta and Ocaña when it lost communication with air traffic control at 11:54 a.m., just minutes after taking off from Camilo Daza Airport and with an estimated flight time of around twenty-five minutes to its destination in Aguas Claras.
Since its disappearance was reported, search teams had deployed aircraft from the Colombian Aerospace Force and specialized ground units, amid suspicions that the plane may have crashed in a mountainous, hard-to-access area between the municipalities of La Playa de Belén and Hacarí.
Although operations had focused on a region known for its dense jungles and steep elevations, the discovery of the fuselage confirmed the worst fears: the plane crashed and, so far, there are no indications of survivors among the fifteen people on board—thirteen passengers and two crew members—according to Satena’s official statement.
Missing Satena plane found in Colombia: No survivors
The aircraft took off from Cúcuta at 11:42 a.m. bound for Ocaña, where it was expected to arrive around 12:05 p.m. Radar records showed that the last detected position was over the mountainous region between La Playa de Belén and Hacarí, a stretch already challenging for air navigation due to weather and geographic conditions. It was at 11:54 a.m. that air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane, without the emergency locator transmitter activating, which normally triggers in critical situations.
In its statement, Satena said that “all available resources” were activated to locate the aircraft, working jointly with the Command and Control Center of the Colombian Aerospace Force and the Technical Directorate for Accident Investigation of the Civil Aviation Authority.” These actions included aerial patrols by several military and private aircraft, as well as coordination with local authorities and the Ministry of Transportation to intensify the search.
After the first hours of uncertainty, the search operation managed to locate the destroyed fuselage of the aircraft in an area of La Playa de Belén, specifically in a wooded zone of Curasica, according to reports from local residents and national media. The impact was so severe that the chances of survival were virtually ruled out as soon as the collision with the terrain was confirmed. Sources with access to the site and initial reports from authorities confirm that none of the fifteen people on board survived the crash.
The discovery took place in rugged terrain characterized by mountains and dense vegetation, complicating access and recovery efforts. Specialized aircraft accident investigation teams arrived at the site to begin technical forensic examinations, with the aim of determining the precise causes of the crash and collecting evidence about the final phase of the flight.
Comunicado Oficial pic.twitter.com/PopdFpUxzv
— SATENA la aerolínea de los Colombianos 🇨🇴 (@AerolineaSatena) January 28, 2026
A 25-minute flight with politicians on board
The flight in question has an estimated duration of about 25 minutes, given the proximity between the two cities. In addition, two national politicians were traveling on the crashed aircraft: Diogenes Quintero, representative of the peace seats for Catatumbo, who entered Congress in 2022.
The other two politicians on the plane—who lost their lives today—were Carlos Salcedo, a candidate in the elections scheduled for next March, and former Ocaña city councilman Juan David Pacheco.
Confirmation of the accident prompted an immediate response from state authorities. The Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Transportation expressed their commitment to clarifying what happened and providing support to the victims’ families. Although the names of the occupants have not yet been officially released, several sources reported that passengers included individuals linked to regional public and political life, intensifying media and public attention on the case.
The president of Satena said he will remain in contact with immediate family members as identification and repatriation tasks are carried out, and that the company will cooperate with official investigations to clarify the circumstances surrounding the loss of control of the aircraft.
Related: Early Hypotheses Emerge on Cause of Yesterday’s Plane Crash in Colombia.
Terrain difficulties and search conditions
The Catatumbo region, where the accident occurred, is known for its geographic and climatic challenges. Rugged elevations and dense vegetation hinder not only communications but also rescue operations, especially in the early hours of the day when the terrain can be covered by fog and cloudiness. Authorities pointed to this context as one of the factors that complicated the initial phases of the search before the crashed aircraft was located.
With the discovery of the plane and the absence of survivors, Colombia faces the first hours of a tragedy that has plunged families and communities into mourning and has raised the need to explain how a short, routine flight ended in a fatal accident in the heart of Norte de Santander. Aeronautical investigators are already working to reconstruct the final moments of the flight and provide definitive answers about the causes of the crash.