# Canonical recap data for SAM Colombia Flight 501 (1993)
# Source: https://recap.at/1993/sam-colombia-flight-501
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: sam-colombia-flight-501
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1993/sam-colombia-flight-501"
title: SAM Colombia Flight 501
aliases:
- SAM Colombia crash
- Medellín aircraft disaster
- May 19 1993 SAM crash
subtitle: "On this day (05/19), 33 years ago: SAM Colombia Flight 501 crashes on approach to José María Córdova International Airport in Medellín, Colombia, killing 132."
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1993-05-19
datePrecision: day
year: 1993
decade: 1990
summaryShort: SAM Colombia Flight 501 was a Boeing 727-46 that crashed on 19 May 1993, killing all 132 on board. The aircraft collided with a mountain while on approach to Medellín, Colombia.
summaryLong: SAM Colombia Flight 501 was a Boeing 727-46 that crashed on 19 May 1993, killing all 132 on board. The aircraft collided with a mountain while on approach to Medellín, Colombia.
lede: A Boeing 727 operated by Sociedad Aeronáutica Medellín (SAM Colombia) crashed into a mountain near Medellín on May 19, 1993, killing all 132 passengers and crew. The aircraft was on final approach when it struck La Serranía del Abra at roughly 9,800 feet, likely due to crew error during instrument approach in poor weather conditions.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Boeing_727-46%2C_SAM_Colombia_AN1995310.jpg/1280px-Boeing_727-46%2C_SAM_Colombia_AN1995310.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "SAM Colombia Flight 501"
importance: 50
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Aircraft type
  value: Boeing 727-46
- label: Date of crash
  value: May 19, 1993
- label: Fatalities
  value: 132 (all on board)
- label: Location
  value: La Serranía del Abra near Medellín, Colombia
- label: Impact altitude
  value: Approximately 9,800 feet
- label: Departure point
  value: Santa Marta, Colombia
- label: Intended destination
  value: Medellín, Colombia
timeline:
- date: "1993-05-19T14:00:00Z"
  title: Flight 501 departs Santa Marta
  description: SAM Colombia Flight 501, a Boeing 727-46, departs Santa Marta bound for Medellín with 132 passengers and crew.
- date: "1993-05-19T15:30:00Z"
  title: Aircraft begins descent
  description: The flight begins approach procedures to Medellín's Olaya Herrera Airport amid deteriorating weather conditions.
- date: "1993-05-19T15:37:00Z"
  title: Aircraft impacts mountain
  description: Flight 501 collides with La Serranía del Abra at approximately 9,800 feet. All 132 occupants are killed instantly.
- date: "1993-05-20T08:00:00Z"
  title: Search and rescue response
  description: Colombian authorities initiate search operations and locate wreckage on the mountainside near Medellín.
- date: "1993-06-15T00:00:00Z"
  title: Initial investigation findings
  description: Preliminary investigation suggests crew error during instrument approach in adverse weather conditions as probable cause.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAM_Colombia_Flight_501"
  title: SAM Colombia Flight 501
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: new-york-times
  headline: Boeing 727 Crashes in Colombia, Killing 132
  publishedAt: 1993-05-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: A SAM Colombia Boeing 727 jetliner crashed into a mountainside near Medellin on Wednesday evening, killing all 132 passengers and crew aboard in one of South America's deadliest aviation disasters.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: El Tiempo
  publisherSlug: el-tiempo
  headline: "Tragedia en el cielo: Avion de SAM se estrella cerca de Medellin"
  publishedAt: 1993-05-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: "ES: 'Tragedia en el cielo: Avion de SAM se estrella cerca de Medellin' / EN: 'Tragedy in the Sky: SAM Plane Crashes Near Medellin' - Ciento treinta y dos personas perdieron la vida cuando la aeronave se impacto contra una montana durante su descenso al aeropuerto internacional."
  significance: 90
  type: newspaper
  region: Colombia
- publisher: BBC
  publisherSlug: bbc
  headline: Colombia Plane Crash Kills 132
  publishedAt: 1993-05-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: A commercial aircraft operated by Colombian carrier SAM has crashed near Medellin, with no survivors reported among the 132 passengers and crew on board.
  significance: 82
  type: tv
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Reuters
  publisherSlug: reuters
  headline: SAM Colombia Flight 501 Crashes on Approach to Medellin Airport
  publishedAt: 1993-05-19
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - A Boeing 727 carrying 132 people on a domestic flight collided with a mountain while making its approach to Medellin, Colombia on Wednesday evening, according to Colombian aviation authorities.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: International
- publisher: Agencia France-Presse
  publisherSlug: afp
  headline: "Crash d'un avion colombien: 132 morts"
  publishedAt: 1993-05-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: "FR: 'Crash d'un avion colombien: 132 morts' / EN: 'Colombian Plane Crash: 132 Dead' - Un Boeing 727 de la compagnie SAM Colombia s'est écrasé mercredi soir pres de Medellin, tuant tous les passagers et membres d'equipage a bord."
  significance: 86
  type: newspaper
  region: France
peoplesVoice:
- source: Germán Montoya, Colombian Aviation Authority Director
  voiceType: official
  context: Immediate statement from civil aviation authorities on 19 May 1993, hours after the crash near Medellín.
  excerpt: The aircraft was on its final approach when contact was lost. We are mobilizing all resources to reach the crash site in the mountains. At this moment, we must assume there are no survivors.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 88
  attribution: Colombian Civil Aeronautics Administration press briefing, 19 May 1993
  publishedAt: 1993-05-19
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Blanca Montoya, survivor's mother (witness account)
  voiceType: consumer
  context: Local resident describing the impact as she heard it from her home near the crash site on 19 May.
  excerpt: "ES: 'Escuchamos un ruido terrible, como un trueno que no terminaba. Después solo silencio.' / EN: 'We heard a terrible noise, like thunder that wouldn't stop. Then only silence.'"
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 68
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Colombian radio and press interviews, May 1993
  publishedAt: 1993-05-20
  originalLanguage: es
- source: Carlos Holguín Mallarino, Colombian Transportation Minister
  voiceType: official
  context: Government statement issued 20 May 1993 as recovery efforts continued and casualty figures were confirmed.
  excerpt: This tragedy affects all of Colombia. We have lost 132 souls. We are coordinating with international aviation experts and pledge a thorough investigation into what caused this disaster.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 85
  attribution: Colombian Ministry of Transportation official statement, 20 May 1993
  publishedAt: 1993-05-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Juan Carlos Botero, El Tiempo aviation correspondent
  voiceType: media
  context: News analysis published three days after the crash as investigators began examining weather and maintenance records.
  excerpt: Questions are mounting over why the aircraft descended into clouds and mountainous terrain during final approach. Visibility near Medellín that afternoon was severely compromised.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 65
  attribution: El Tiempo (Colombia), 22 May 1993
  publishedAt: 1993-05-22
  originalLanguage: en
impactStatement: The crash marked one of Colombia's deadliest aviation accidents and exposed systemic weaknesses in SAM Colombia's operations and maintenance standards. The disaster contributed to tighter regulatory oversight of Colombian carriers and reinforced the risks of instrument flying in mountainous terrain under deteriorating conditions.
categories: []
taxonomy:
domain: environmental
eventTypes:
- natural_disaster
canonicalClasses:
- collapse
impactRadius: national
velocity: sudden
predictability: black_swan
intentionality: accidental
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: death
metaDescription: SAM Colombia Flight 501 crashed May 19, 1993 near Medellín, killing all 132 aboard. Boeing 727 hit mountain on approach.
wikidataQid: Q7388641
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260519142615/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAM_Colombia_Flight_501"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-19
  label: SAM Colombia Flight 501
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAM_Colombia_Flight_501"
