During a training flight in Colombia, two Colombian Air Force Embraer AT-27 Tucanos collided.

A fatal collision between 2 AT-27 Tucanos

On July 1, a tragedy occurred in Colombia. Lieutenant Colonel Mario Espinosa of the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (FAC) lost his life in the mid-air collision of two Embraer Defesa & Segurança (Boeing Brasil-Commercial) AT-27M Tucano (EMB-112) aircraft. This accident occurred during a training flight at the CT Luis Francisco Gómez air base (Apiay, in the center of the country), in view of an upcoming demonstration during F-Air 2023.

An accident during a training flight

Five planes were participating in this practice when two of them made a series of inverted flights, colliding and causing an explosion. One of the planes crashed to the ground, and although Lieutenant Colonel Mario Espinosa managed to eject, he did not survive.

First loss of an AT-27M in 30 years

This accident is the first in 30 years of service and 100,000 flight hours involving the loss of an AT-27M. These planes, recently modernized by the Colombian company CIAC, are recognized for their safety, their ability to maneuver and the rigorous training of their crews.

Modernization of AT-27 Tucano aircraft by the CWC

The Corporación de la Industria Aeronáutica de Colombia (CIAC) announced the end of the project to modernize the fleet of 14 AT-27 Tucano aircraft in 2020. This modernization began in 2008, with investments approaching $19 million. The purpose of this modernization was to extend the life of the Tucanos up to 15 years. These planes, which have accumulated more than 24 years of continuous service, had reached their maximum number of regulatory flight hours (80,000 hours).