Pilot Debrief

CONVAIR 440 - NO SERIES near San Juan, PR — 2012-03-15

Final reportDCA12FA051
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Date
2012-03-15
Location
San Juan, PR, USA
Airport
SJU
Aircraft
CONVAIR 440 - NO SERIES
Registration
N153JR
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

the flight crew's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after shutting down the right engine due to an in-flight fire in one of the right augmentors. The failure to maintain airspeed resulted in either an aerodynamic stall or a loss of directional control.

NTSB narrative

The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/aviation.aspx. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-14/04 On March 15, 2012, about 0740 Atlantic standard time, a Convair CV-440-38, N153JR, operated by Fresh Air, Inc., crashed into a lagoon about 1 mile east of the departure end of runway 10 at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), San Juan, Puerto Rico. The two pilots died, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The airplane was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1251 as a cargo flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight had departed from runway 10 at SJU destined for Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten. Shortly after takeoff, the first officer declared an emergency, and then the captain requested a left turn back to SJU and asked the local air traffic controllers if they could see smoke coming from the airplane (the two tower controllers noted in postaccident interviews that they did not see more smoke than usual coming from the airplane). The controllers cleared the flight to land on runway 28, but as the airplane began to align with the runway, it crashed into a nearby lagoon (Laguna La Torrecilla).

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
The first officer could have aborted the takeoff after declaring an emergency.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 57 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

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