USAF: Colombia crash caused by plane hitting hill

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

USAF: Colombia crash caused by plane hitting hill
By BROCK VERGAKIS
Associated Press April 23, 2014 Updated 20 minutes ago

NORFOLK, Va. — Air Force investigators say a plane crash that killed four people in Colombia this past fall occurred when the plane's pilots failed to stay over water and slammed into a hill.

In October, three Americans and one Panamanian were killed while conducting drug surveillance. Two U.S. contractors on the plane were rescued by Colombian military forces.

Details of the crash were released in a report by Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia on Wednesday.

The report says the twin-engine turboprop crashed near the Panamanian border while on a night counter-narcotics mission. The report says the plane had been following a suspected drug smuggler in the Caribbean Sea near Panama at night when the pilots inadvertently flew over land and hit a hill.

Read more: http://www.theolympian.com/2014/04/23/3099223/usaf-colombia-crash-caused-by.html#storylink=cpy

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(Short article, no more at link.)

[yallerdawg]

1. Excuse me?

Crash caused by plane hitting hill?

The loss of life is tragic, but that headline would suggest there were drugs involved - whoever determined crash caused by plane hitting hill.

US Air Force? Hmmmm.

[FiveGoodMen]

2. They hit a hill they didn't see coming but ...

"Two U.S. contractors on the plane were rescued by Colombian military forces." ??

Wouldn't have expected any survivors.

[Major Nikon]

3. It's certainly possible

What generally kills you in a plane crash is either the g-forces or fire. If they hit trees and the wings sheared off it could have softened the impact and there would have been no fuel to catch fire.