Part 2/8:
As the flight prepared for departure, various issues were developing concurrently—unforeseen weather conditions, potential pilot errors, and significant technical deficiencies with the aircraft itself.
The aircraft's captain, aged 54, was a seasoned pilot with nearly 18,000 flying hours. His co-pilot, 34-year-old Diego Mamahit, had about 5,000 hours of flying experience. Though the cockpit was manned by experienced pilots, the critical nature of their emergency training, and the reliability of the aircraft, would soon be put to the test.