Colombian aviation report shows how 4 children survived plane crash in the Amazon

New details are emerging about how four children survived a plane crash in the Amazon after Colombia’s Civil Aviation Special Administrative Unit released a preliminary report completed before the children were found alive in the jungle 40 days later.

The children were traveling with their mother from the Amazonian village of Araracuara to the town of San Jose del Guaviare on May 1 when the pilot of the Cessna single-engine propeller plane declared an emergency because of engine failure. The aircraft disappeared from the radar a short time later, and a search began for the three adults and four children who were on board.

Where they were traveling

The children were traveling from the Amazonian village of Araracuara to the town of San Jose del Guaviare on May 1 when the pilot declared an emergency.

Three adults were on board, including the pilot and the children’s mother, Magdalena Mucutuy, who died after the crash.

About the Cessna 206 aircraft

The rough terrain of the Amazon jungle is challenging for local pilots, experts say. Authorities say the Cessna was airworthy and had the technical requirements for the flight. But less than an hour after takeoff, the pilot reported engine trouble to air traffic control. The pilot said he hoped to make an emergency landing in a body of water.

“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. … The engine is failing again. … Going to look for a river.”

Pilot of the Cessna 206, according to Colombian Civil Aviation

The Cessna 206 flown by the family was reportedly 40 years old. Authorities contacted the National Transportation Safety Board because the aircraft was manufactured in the United States.

How the children survived the crash

Colombia’s Civil Aviation Special Administrative Unit believe the aircraft crashed nose-first in the jungle. The front section of the aircraft suffered the most damage. Two men in the front seats and the children’s mother, who was in a center seat, died. The children were seated in the back.

Authorities believe the seating positions played a large part in the children’s survival. Three children, ages 13, 9 and 4, were in the back of the aircraft. The fourth child, an infant, was sitting on his mother’s lap.

It was reported that the aircraft had been involved in an accident in 2021 after losing engine power. Repairs had been completed in March.

For more than a month, the children survived by eating cassava flour and seeds as well as some fruits they found in the rainforest. As members of the Huitoto Indigenous group, they were familiar with such foods.

The children were found last Friday in a small clearing about 3 miles from the crash site.