Britten-Norman BN-2A ISLANDER N589SA

Summary

On 2 August 1984 at about 12:05 local time, a Britten-Norman BN-2A ISLANDER registered N589SA, operated by Vieques Air Link, Inc., was involved in an accident near Vieques. 9 people were on board and 9 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

2 August 1984 at 12:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Vieques

Nearest airport

Vieques (VQS)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Britten-Norman BN-2A ISLANDER

Registration

N589SA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Vieques Air Link, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → St Croix

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DCA84AA033

9 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A WITNESS REPORTED HE HEARD AN APPARENT ENG PROBLEM AFTER THE ACFT TOOK OFF & BEGAN A LEFT TURN FOR A X-WIND DEPARTURE. REPORTEDLY, THE ACFT OSCILLATED, THEN AFTER REGAINING SOME LOST ALT, IT BANKED ABRUPTLY TO THE LEFT, NOSED DOWN, & SUBSEQUENTLY, CRASHED IN THE OCEAN IN A LEFT WING LOW, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED EVIDENCE THE LEFT ENG HAD LOST POWER DUE TO WATER CONTAMINATION. WATER WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL STORAGE TANK AS WELL AS IN ANOTHER ACFT THAT HAD BEEN REFUELED FROM THE SAME TANK. THE LEFT PROP HAD NOT BEEN FEATHERED & THE FLAPS WERE FOUND FULL DOWN. THE PLT HAD BEEN DESIGNATED FOR 'ON-DEMAND' FLTS, BUT HE WAS NOT CERTIFIED FOR 'SCHEDULED COMMUTER' FLTS. THE COMPANY HAD DESIGNATED THIS AS AN ON-DEMAND FLT RATHER THAN AN EXTRA-SECTION SCHEDULED COMMUTER FLT. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE ACFT WAS LOADED 600 TO 700 LBS OVER THE MAX LIMIT & UP TO 5 INCHES BEHIND THE AFT CG LIMIT. FAA SURVEILLANCE OF THE COMPANY OPERATIONS WAS NOT EFFECTIVE IN IDENTIFYING PRBLMS. THE STORAGE TANK FILLER CAP (IN A WELL AREA) WAS NOT WATER TIGHT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.