NTSB Team Assisting Investigation of Aires Boeing 737 Crash on San Andrés Island

The NTSB has dispatched a team of investigators to assist the government of Colombia with its investigation of yesterday's airplane accident on the Caribbean island of San Andrés.

At about 1:50 a.m. local time, an Aires Airlines Boeing 737-700 (HK-4682), crashed during landing at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport, killing just one of the 131 occupants. Flight 8250 originated in Bogota. 

NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman has designated Lorenda Ward, a senior air safety investigator, as the U.S. accredited representative. The U.S. team will also include three other NTSB investigators (specialists in flight operations, human performance and airworthiness) and technical advisors from the FAA and Boeing.

The Boeing 737-700 broke into three pieces when it struck the ground 260 feet short of the runway, as the pilot-in-command attempted to land in an intense thunderstorm.