2026 Paipa Piper PA-31 crash
 Aerial view of the crash site | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 10 January 2026 |
| Summary | Crashed shortly after takeoff; under investigation |
| Site | |
| Aircraft | |
 N325FA, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in 2024 | |
| Aircraft type | Piper PA-31-325 Navajo |
| Operator | TVPX Aircraft Solutions Inc Trustee |
| Registration | N325FA |
| Flight origin | Juan José Rondón Airport, Paipa, Colombia |
| Destination | Olaya Herrera Airport, Medellín, Colombia |
| Occupants | 6 |
| Passengers | 5 |
| Crew | 1 |
| Fatalities | 6 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On 10 January 2026, a Piper PA-31 Navajo crashed in Paipa, Boyacá Department, Colombia, killing all six occupants, including Colombian singer Yeison Jiménez.
Background
Aircraft
The aircraft involved in the accident was a Piper PA-31-325 Navajo with registration number N325FA, manufactured in 1982 and owned by TVPX Aircraft Solutions Inc Trustee. It was equipped with two Lycoming TIO-540 SER (Colemill Panther series) six-cylinder piston engines, each producing 350 hp.[1][2]
Prior to the 2026 crash, the registration number N325FA was implicated in another incident. On August 14, 2022, the Mexican Air Force and the Secretariat of National Defense intercepted and detained a Piper PA-31 Navajo (Colemill Panther modification) on a semi-legal airstrip near La Libertad, Campeche. Approximately 460.5 kg of cocaine were discovered on board.[3][4] According to official reports, this aircraft, which had traveled from Colombia via Belize, was using an illegally assigned registration number N325FA. After landing, the crew and their ground contacts fled. One person on a quad bike who was illuminating the airstrip was killed by the plane's propeller strike.[3][4] The confiscated aircraft is unrelated to the one that crashed in Paipa.
On January 9, 2026, the day before the crash, a test flight with four passengers on board was scheduled due to recent maintenance performed on the left engine, which included replacing piston rings on three cylinders and replacing magnetos. At 13:39 local time (HL), the aircraft performed a flight to the northeast and then landed at 14:06 HL without incident.[5]
Passengers and crew
There were 6 people on board the aircraft, including 1 crew member and 5 passengers.
- The Captain was Hernando Torres, 38 years old. He held private and commercial pilot licenses. One month before the crash, on December 13, 2025, he also obtained a flight instructor license. His most recent type rating check on the specific aircraft type, the Piper PA-31-325, was conducted on March 30, 2025, in Bogotá, with satisfactory results. As of October 25, 2025, he had a total of 1,650 hours and 45 minutes of flight time.[5]
The passengers on this flight were the popular Colombian singer Yeison Jiménez along with his team: Juan Manuel Rodríguez, Óscar Marín, Jefferson Osorio, and Weisman Mora.[6][7][8] Jiménez was a significant figure on the regional Colombian music scene, known for songs that garnered millions of streams on digital platforms and had a large audience across the country. Over the past decade, he had built a national career and was considered one of the most recognizable artists in his genre.[9] Jiménez was flying to Medellín, from where he was supposed to travel to Marinilla to perform a concert that evening.[10]
Crash
The aircraft was to operate a FAR 91 charter flight from Paipa (Juan José Rondón Airport) to Medellín (Olaya Herrera Airport), as Yeison Jiménez had a concert scheduled for that evening in Marinilla, a municipality near of Medellín, as part of the Fiestas Populares de la Vaca en la Torre festival.[10][11]
The aircraft required more time than usual to start its engines and was significantly delayed before takeoff.[12] At 16:09 (UTC−5:00), it began its takeoff roll on runway 05 and lifted off. Immediately after takeoff, the aircraft failed to climb normally. Instead of continuing its climb straight ahead, it turned right onto a heading of 290°. Less than two minutes after takeoff, at 16:11 (UTC−5:00), the aircraft, with a high angle of attack and a slight left bank, crashed in a field on the "Marengo" farm, 1.97 km from the end of the runway.[2][5] All 6 people on board were killed.[13] National Police officers, firefighters, Civil Defense personnel, and the Technical Corps of Criminal and Judicial Investigation arrived at the crash site.[9][14]
Aftermath
Many people, including politicians and celebrities, expressed condolences regarding the crash and the death of Yeison Jiménez.[14] The government of Boyacá confirmed the declaration of a day of mourning in the department and sent condolences to the artist's family.[8] The mayor of Marinilla, where Jiménez was scheduled to perform, announced the news of the crash to his fans and declared a moment of silence.[15] Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on the tragedy on social media.
At the "Movistar" arena in Bogotá, thousands of people and public cultural figures gathered to pay tribute to the deceased musician. Jiménez's mother, Luz Mery Galeano, spoke at the event, along with his daughter, Taliana.[16]
Investigation
The Ministry of Transport launched an investigation into the crash. The Technical Directorate for Accident Investigation, Colombian Civil Aviation Authority, SAR Bogotá and the National Police of Colombia are also investigating.[17]
According to eyewitnesses, the aircraft took longer than usual to start its engine, delayed its takeoff, and after takeoff, it failed to retract its landing gear, which drew the attention of airport staff.[12] According to statements from one eyewitness who was with Jiménez at the airport, "the pilot looked worried" and insisted on something during a conversation with the singer, after which the latter gave permission for takeoff.[12]
A preliminary report by Aerocivil was published on January 28, 2026.[5][18]
References
- ^ "Aircraft Inquiry".
- ^ a b Ranter, Harro. "Accident Piper PA-31-325 Navajo C/R N325FA, Saturday 10 January 2026". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ a b Ranter, Harro. "Incident Piper PA-31 Navajo (N325FA), Sunday 14 August 2022". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ a b "Crash of a Piper PA-31-325 in La Libertad: 1 killed | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives". www.baaa-acro.com. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d "Preliminary report by Aerocivil" (PDF).
- ^ "Colombian music star Yeison Jiménez among six killed in tragic plane crash in Paipa, Boyacá".
- ^ "Colombia Plane Crash Videos: Footage Shows Yeison Jimenez's Aircraft On Runway Moments Before Fatal Crash". Times Now. 11 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ a b en, Por Jimmy Nomesqui RiveraSeguir (11 January 2026). "En video: Este fue el momento exacto del accidente de la avioneta en la que iba Yeison Jiménez". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Colombian singer Yeison Jiménez among 6 killed in plane crash near Bogotá". BNO News. 10 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Accidente Yeison Jiménez: lo que se sabe de la muerte del cantante colombiano | Univision Famosos | Univision". www.univision.com (in Spanish). 10 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ Minota Hurtado, José Antonio (10 January 2026). "En Marinilla, Antioquia, lloran la muerte de Yeison Jiménez en accidente aéreo: tenía programado presentarse en las fiestas populares del municipio". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 January 2026.
- ^ a b c "Last Minutes Before Yeison Jiménez's Accident Revealed: "The Pilot Looked Worried"". Newsroom Panama. 13 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ Hurtado, Angie Nataly Ruiz (11 January 2026). "Así fue el accidente de avioneta en el que murieron el cantante Yeison Jiménez y cinco personas más en Boyacá: aparecen las primeras hipótesis". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ a b "What happened to Yeison Jimenez? Paipa plane accident sparks fears; scary videos emerge". Hindustan Times. 10 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
- ^ Perea, Diana Carolina Vergel (10 January 2026). "Pipe Bueno, Jessi Uribe, Jhonny Rivera y más cantantes despidieron a Yeison Jiménez". Caracol TV (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ^ Staff, The Latin American Post (25 January 2026). "Why Colombia's Grief for Yeison Jiménez Runs So Deep: He Gave Voice to Their Pain". LatinAmerican Post. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ "Muere Yeison Jiménez: se confirma que el cantante iba en avioneta accidentada en Boyacá" [Yeison Jiménez dies: it is confirmed that the singer was on the plane that crashed in Boyacá] (in Spanish). Noticias Caracol. 10 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
- ^ Acosta, Javier (28 January 2026). "Revelan informe preliminar del accidente en el que falleció Yeison Jiménez y su equipo de trabajo". Portafolio.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 February 2026.