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As Flight 965 approached Cali, Colombia, the pilots began their descent unaware of the miscommunication with air traffic control regarding their route. When instructed to report passing the Altura VOR, the pilots mistakenly believed they could skip this waypoint entirely, believing they were cleared directly to their destination, which was not the case.
This miscommunication highlighted the challenges of differing aviation protocols across regions—what was clear in the United States didn't necessarily apply in South America. The misunderstanding led Captain Tafori to erase crucial waypoints from their route, severely impairing their ability to navigate.