Boeing 737 incident near Bogota, CO, November 24, 2012
On November 24, 2012 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Boeing 737, registered HP1371CM, was involved in an incident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Bogota. It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. No one was hurt; 116 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 2012 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Bogota, Colombia
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 116 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 7V3 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- HP1371CM · no longer on the register · serial 30049
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On 24 November, 2012, at approxiumately 1636 UTC time, a Boeing B737-7V3, registration HP1371CM, operated by Copa Airlines Columbia between Bogota and Cartegna, Coulmbia, experienced a depressurization while climbing through FL240 and the oxygen masks deplyed. The aiplane made an emergency descent and returned to Bogota. There were no injuries to the 6 crew or 110 passengers and the airplane was not damaged. The investigation is being conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Group of Columbia. The NTSB has appointed an Accredited Representative to assist the investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13 as the State of Manufacture and Design of the airplane. All inquiries should be directed to the AAIG Columbia at: Grupo de Investigación de Accidentes Unidad Administrativa Especial Aeronáutica Civil Avenida Eldorado # 103 - 23, Bogotá - Colombia investigacion.accide@aerocivil.gov.co
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Pressure/environ sys malf/fail during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Emergency descent initiated during enroute (climb to cruise)
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Copa Airlines Columbia
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 4 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 110 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.