Skyway Enterprises Flight 7101
 Sister ship of accident aircraft landing at Princess Juliana Int'l, 17 October 2005 | |
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | October 29, 2014 |
| Summary | Departed controlled flight during initial climb |
| Site | 3 miles from departure end of runway 28 SMX, Saint Martin |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 2 (all) |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Short 360-200 |
| Operator | Skyway Enterprises |
| Registration | N380MQ |
| Flight origin | Princess Juliana International Airport, Saint Martin |
| Destination | Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Coordinates: 18°02′18″N 63°07′38″W / 18.03833°N 63.12722°W
Skyway Enterprises Flight 7101 (KI7101/SKZ7101) was a non-scheduled cargo flight operating under 14 CFR Part 135[1] from Princess Juliana International Airport on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin to San Juan, Puerto Rico. On October 29, 2014, the Short 360-200 cargo aircraft, operated by Skyway Enterprises on a FedEx charter flight, took off from Princess Juliana's runway 28 at 18:35 local time (22:35Z). During the initial climb out, approximately 30 seconds after takeoff and at an altitude of about 500 feet (150 m), the air traffic controller gave instructions to change heading to 230 degrees for traffic.[2] Shortly afterwards the aircraft crashed into Maho Bay approximately three miles from shore. The pilot and co-pilot suffered fatal injuries.[2]
Aircraft and crew
The accident aircraft, registration N380MQ , was manufactured by the Short Brothers aerospace company in the United Kingdom in 1986 with manufacturer's serial number SH3702. It was powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AR turboprop engines rated at 1,424 shp (1,062 kW) each.[2]
The crew consisted of a 49-year-old German national carrying a valid United States green card as captain and a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico as first officer.[3][4]
Investigation
The final report has not yet been released, but areas investigators are examining include:
Weather
At 19:00 local time, 25 minutes after the crash the weather was reported as "Wind 210 degrees at 8 knots, varying in direction between 160 and 250 degrees; Visibility: 10+ km; light rain; few clouds at 1300 feet; broken clouds at 3500 feet; Temperature: 27°C; Dew point 25°C; Pressure: 1011 mb".[2]
Prior incident
"The crash follows another incident at SXM Airport just two days prior in which the same aircraft is understood to have been involved. The aircraft is said to have developed a problem during landing and to have veered to the left on the runway, nearly hitting the airport’s SOL jet fuel bunker, after which it had to be removed by the Fire Department. The aircraft had undergone repairs during the last two days."[5]
Technical problems
"Unconfirmed reports stated that the girlfriend of one of the pilots has said that her partner told her he felt uneasy about flying the plane after its recent near miss with technical problems, when it nearly crashed into a SOL fuel tanker on landing two days earlier."[3]
Recovery
At 20:30 local time on the day of the crash, large volumes of debris were reported washing up on shore between Mullet Bay and La Samanna. Rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather, with lightning and heavy rain. At approximately 21:20 the battered body of the pilot Eric Schnell[4] was recovered between Mullet Bay and Cupecoy by the Coast Guard, working with the Royal Marines.[5]
On November 5, 2014 a team of experts arrived from Puerto Rico to assist with recovery of main fuselage from the seabed. A Global Positioning System (GPS) that was found during the search and rescue operation was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to assisted in narrowing the search area.[6]
On November 10, 2014 the fuselage and a wing were located at a depth of 75 feet by the rescue team in cooperation with the Coast Guard. The missing co-pilot and his seat were not found inside the cabin.[3]
During a search of the wreckage site and surrounding area on November 11, 2014, scuba divers found the body of the co-pilot, still strapped to his seat.[7]
References
- ↑ "DCA15RA018". ntsb.gov. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 Harro Ranter (29 October 2014). "ASN Aircraft accident Shorts 360-200 N380MQ Sint Maarten-Juliana Airport (SXM)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Deceased pilot identified, co-pilot search continues". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- 1 2 "Aircraft wreckage located, pilot's body not in cockpit". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- 1 2 "One missing, one dead after FedEx plane crash". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ↑ "Vessel to arrive Friday to Locate Wreckage of Skyway Airway Short SH36 aircraft". sintmaartengov.org. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ↑ "Plane crash remains have been found near wreckage". sxmgovernment.com. Retrieved 30 April 2015.