Government Aircraft Fact (Gaf) N22S N6305U
18 September 1998 · Caribbean Sea · Fatal
Summary
On 18 September 1998 at about 18:28 local time, a Government Aircraft Fact (Gaf) N22S registered N6305U, operated by US Customs Service, was involved in an accident near Caribbean Sea. 4 people were on board and one died, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:28
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Caribbean Sea
- Nearest airport
- Rafael Hernandez Airport (BQN)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Government Aircraft Fact (Gaf) N22S
- Registration
- N6305U
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- US Customs Service
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Borinquen → Curacao
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ATL98GA127
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot-in-command of N6305U to maintain physical clearance from the other aircraft (N6302W). Contributing factors were the inadequate visual lookout of all four pilots involved.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Two U.S. Customs Service airplanes collided in formation cruise flight while being evacuated from Borinquen, Puerto Rico, to Curacao, Dutch Antilles, due to an approaching hurricane. While in cruise flight at 6,500 ft. msl, N6305U maneuvered closer to the lead airplane, N6302W, to take some photographs. Several minutes later, N6305U's right side of the vertical stabilizer collided with the left side of the nose of N6302W. N6305U was ditched while on short final to an airstrip due to a lack of airplane controllability, while N6302W returned to Borinquen and landed without incident. Prior to departure, the crewmembers of both airplanes were directed to fly as a flight of two. Neither of the second-in-commands (SICs) of either airplane had any previous formation flying training, nor was it approved for the flight. Interviews with U.S. Customs personnel revealed that formation flight occurred, as did photographs taken from the SIC aboard N6305U during the accident flight. The U.S. Customs Service required two pilots to operate the airplane due to mission equipment installation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government Aircraft Fact (Gaf) N22S N22S | N6305U | US Customs Service | Destroyed |
| Government Aircraft Fact (Gaf) N22S N22S | N6302W | U.s. Customs Service | Minor |