Overview
- The Avianca domestic flight AV9401 attempted two landings at Pasto’s Antonio Nariño Airport on Tuesday but executed go‑arounds when conditions fell below safety minima and returned to Bogotá.
- Cellphone video shared widely shows passengers crying, praying, vomiting and fainting during the aborted approaches, and several passengers described being left shaken though no injuries were reported.
- Avianca told reporters that pilots followed standard safety protocols when visibility and wind made a stable approach impossible and that the aircraft later departed again and landed in Pasto without incident.
- Antonio Nariño Airport sits about 5,951 feet above sea level on a mountain plateau, a location that produces fast-changing fog, strong winds and terrain‑constrained approaches that require precise handling and often specially trained crews.
- The episode drew heavy social‑media attention and experts say go‑arounds are a routine safety response that prevent runway accidents, with the main follow-up items likely to include review of weather limits and continued public focus on mountainous airport operations.