Colombia Crash Investigation Continues

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Civil aviation authorities in Brazil have suspended the operating certificate of LaMia airlines, which operated the charter aircraft that crashed in Colombia last week, killing 71 of the 77 people on board. Authorities have confirmed that the airplane, an Avro RJ85, was out of fuel when it crashed on a mountainside near the Medellin airport. Freddy Bonilla, Colombia’s secretary of air security, said the flight was in violation of both local and international regulations regarding minimum fuel reserves. Brazilian newspaper O Globo has reported that the crew originally planned to make a fuel stop along the way, but after their departure was delayed, the plan was abandoned, apparently because the fuel provider would have been closed for the night.

The captain of the flight, Miguel Quiroga, who died in the crash, was reportedly a part owner of the airline. Questions have been raised about whether authorities who approved the airline’s flight plan should have questioned its margin of safety. A preliminary accident report is expected to be released next week.

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