Date & Time:
Mar 5, 1969 at 1738 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DH.114 Heron
Operator:
Registration:
N563PR
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Charlotte Amalie – San Juan
MSN:
14125
YOM:
1961
Flight number:
PQ277
Country:
Puerto Rico
Region:
Central America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
2
Pax on board:
17
Pax fatalities:
17
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
19
Captain / Total hours on type:
1000
Copilot / Total hours on type:
1200
Aircraft flight hours:
4167
Circumstances:
Prinair flight PQ277 departed Charlotte Amalie Airport (Saint Thomas Island) at 1715LT for an IFR flight to San Juan. At 17:32, the flight contacted San Juan Approach Control and advised that the flight was maintaining 4,000 feet. The trainee approach controller replied: "Prinair two seven seven San Juan Approach Control radar contact three miles east of Isla Verde fly a heading of two five zero for a vector to ILS final maintain four thousand." Actually the flight was 3 miles east of the Fajardo intersection instead of the Isla Verde intersection which is located about 10 miles west of the Fajardo intersection. One minute later the Heron was cleared to descend to 3,000 feet. At 17:38, after being vectored for a runway 07 approach, the airplane contacted trees and crashed, coming to rest near the top of a knoll in the Sierra de Luquillo mountains at an elevation of about 2400 feet (731 m). The wreckage was found about 24 km southeast of San Juan-Isla Verde Airport and all 18 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The vectoring of the aircraft into mountainous terrain, under IFR conditions, without adequate obstruction clearance altitude by a controller who, for reasons beyond his control, was performing beyond the safe limits of his performance capability and without adequate supervision.
Final Report:
N563PR.pdf1.54 MB
