Piper PA34 accident near Zulia, CO, December 12, 2012
On December 12, 2012 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Piper PA34, registered HK4477G, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Zulia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. private rules. 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- December 12, 2012 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Zulia, Colombia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA34 220T · all PA34s on the register
- Registration
- HK4477G · no longer on the register · serial 34-7870466
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 12, 2012, about 1530 universal coordinated time (1030 local time), a Piper PA-34-200T, Colombian registration HK4477G, was destroyed when it impacted rising mountainous terrain in the vicinity of La Cuchilla, near Zulia, Norte de Santander, Colombia. The Colombian commercial pilot and three passengers were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight was operating under visual flight rules from Camilo Daza International Airport (SKCC), Cucuta, Colombia, to Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport (SKBQ), Barranquilla, Colombia, under Colombian flight regulations. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the government of Colombia. Further information can be obtained from: Grupo de Investigacion de Accidentes Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronautica Civil Avenida Eldorado # 103-23 Bogota, Colombia Telephone: 57-1-2662210 This report is for informational purposes, and only contains information that was provided by the government of Colombia.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute (cruise)
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (cruise) defining event
Pilot
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SKCC Cucuta
- Destination: SKBQ Barranquilla
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.