Civil Aviation of Colombia corrected the initial information about the aerial accident in which the singer Yeison Jiménez died and confirmed that the ultralight aircraft did take off and remained in the air for several minutes before crashing in the municipality of Paipa, Boyacá department.
According to the latest technical balance, the aircraft was between three and five minutes in flight and covered less than a mile from the head of the runway before the impact, which forces to correct the first official version that pointed to a failed takeoff over the runway.
Official rectification of the Civil Aviation
The Colonel Álvaro Bello, technical director of Accident Investigation of the Civil Aviation, explained that the preliminary data show an effective displacement in flight, with a previous turn before the collision. This directly contradicts the initial communication of the Ministry of Transport, which indicated that the ultralight aircraft would not have left the runway.
Bello specified that the radar records, testimonies, and evidence on the ground allow locating the impact point very close to the beginning of the runway, but already with the aircraft in height, which now focuses the investigation on what happened during those first minutes of flight.
State of the aircraft and lines of investigation
According to the authority, the ultralight aircraft had all the current operating certificates and did not record any restrictions for flying the route. However, the Civil Aviation has not yet defined the exact cause of the loss of ascent or the subsequent accident.
The investigators are analyzing possible technical, operational, and human factors, including engine performance, takeoff weight, wind conditions in the mountainous area of Boyacá, and decision-making in the cockpit.
Current verifications and international protocol
The authority confirmed that the technical and operational verifications continue, in line with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization, which establish phases of data collection, analysis, issuance of preliminary reports, and a final report with safety recommendations.
- Review of maintenance and logbooks of the aircraft.
- Analysis of trajectory and local meteorological conditions.
- Taking statements from witnesses, ground personnel, and those close to the operation.
Sources from the aeronautical sector indicate that, on average, a complete investigation by the Civil Aviation can extend for several months, especially when there are no sophisticated flight recorders, as often occurs in private or executive ultralight aircraft.
Impact of the accident and tributes to Yeison Jiménez
The accident, in which Yeison Jiménez and five members of his team died, has caused commotion in the Colombian music industry and in the Latin community, where the artist was one of the most recognized voices in popular music.
While the Civil Aviation investigations advance, relatives, local authorities, and representatives of the artistic guild coordinate public ceremonies and tributes in memory of the singer. It is expected that these activities will include open vigils, musical tributes, and symbolic acts in Bogotá and in regions where the artist built his career.
Relevance of the technical clarification
The clarification by the Civil Aviation that the ultralight aircraft did take off and remained in flight changes the focus of the investigation and seeks to avoid speculation about a possible gross failure in the initial takeoff maneuver. The update also aims to provide greater transparency to the families of the victims and the aviation sector, awaiting a final report that details what happened in those critical minutes over the sky of Paipa.
