On Feb. 22, search teams discovered the wreckage of a Santa Barbara Airlines ATR 42-300 that had lost contact with air traffic control following take-off from Merida the day before.

Venezuelan officials said all 43 passengers and three crew were killed. Wreckage was spotted from rescue helicopters over mountains just a few miles from Merida. The flight was on its way to Caracas but crashed in the Andes approximately 4,000 m. above sea level.

"By the way it crashed we can determine there are no survivors," said Ramon Vinas, head of the national civil aviation authority, according to the Associated Press. No communication was received from the pilot following take-off, Santa Barbara President Jorge Alvarez said.

The accident was the worst since the November crash of an Atlasjet MD-83 that killed 57 and the worst involving an ATR 42, according to the Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network, which said SBA aircraft first flew in 1986.

According to Reuters and the BBC, pilots require special training to fly from Merida, which necessitates steep ascents to avoid the nearby mountains. Only daylight flights are permitted.

Santa Barbara operates five additional ATR 42-300s as well as two 757-200ERs and two 767-300ERs. It said on its website that it intends to add the 737-300 to its fleet soon. It serves eight domestic and six international destinations including Miami, Madrid and Tenerife.