Four doctors, pilot killed in Colombia medical flight crash

A Cessna T206 (HK-4985) carrying four health professionals and pilot Mehmet Cankaya disappeared on Sept. 13 while returning from a medical brigade in Condoto, Chocó. The aircraft lost contact around 9:23 a.m. near the Tatamá National Natural Park, on the Chocó–Risaralda border.

An emergency locator beacon triggered a search, but heavy rain, fog, and steep terrain prevented helicopters from reaching the site for three days. The wreckage, broken in two sections, was located on Sept. 16 about 15 km from the beacon signal.

“They were four extraordinary women who gave their lives serving the most needy.”

President Abelardo De La Espriella confirmed on Sept. 16 that all five occupants had died. The four doctors — Perla Constanza Álvarez, Sandy García, María Victoria Guzmán, and Julissa Figueredo — were recovered on Sept. 19; the pilot’s body was retrieved on Sept. 20.

The brigade, organized by the Colombian Civil Air Patrol with support from Colmédica and Clínica del Country, treated nearly 600 patients in Condoto, a region with limited hospital access. The doctors were described by the president as “extraordinary women who gave their lives serving the most needy.”