Narrative:
A Swearingen Metro cargo plane impacted terrain near La Alianza, Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Both crew members were killed.
The flight departed Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic at 19:36 on a cargo service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Last radio contact with the flight was about 20:08 when the flight was descending from 11,000 feet to 7,000 feet. The controller then advised the crew to maintain 3,000 feet, expect the ILS approach, and proceed direct to the "TNNER" fix, and that information "Tango" was in effect. After a crewmember read back the information, there were no further transmissions from the airplane.
The airplane had descended to 8,300 feet by 20:10:08. It then made a 20-degree turn to the left, and by 20:10:13, had descended to 7,300 feet. It subsequently made a 45-degree turn to the right, and had descended to 5,500 feet by 20:10:18. There were no additional verifiable altitude positions.
Descent calculations between 20:10:08 and 20:10:13 indicated a rate of descent of about 12,000 feet per minute (fpm), and between 20:10:13 and 2010:18, over 21,000 fpm. Preliminary groundspeed calculations indicated about 290 knots.
Weather at the time was fine with a visibility of 10 miles, a few clouds at 7,000 feet, and scattered clouds at 10,000 feet.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The flight crew's excessive elevator input during a rapid descent under night lighting conditions, which resulted in the overstress and breakup of the airplane. Contributing to the accident was an initial loss of airplane control for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation."
Loss of control
» NTSB
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
Radar plot
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Monday 2 December 2013 |
| Time: | 20:10 |
| Type: |  Fairchild SA227-AC Metro III |
| Operator: | IBC Airways |
| Registration: | N831BC |
| MSN: | AC-654B |
| First flight: | 1986 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 33888 |
| Cycles: | 35698 |
| Engines: | 2 Garrett TPE331-11U-612G |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 2 km (1.3 mls) SSW of La Alianza, Arecibo ( Puerto Rico)
|
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Santo Domingo-Las Américas José Francisco Peña Gómez Int'l Airport (SDQ/MDSD), Dominican Republic |
| San Juan-Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU/TJSJ), Puerto Rico | |
| Flightnumber: | 405 |
A Swearingen Metro cargo plane impacted terrain near La Alianza, Arecibo, Puerto Rico. Both crew members were killed.
The flight departed Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic at 19:36 on a cargo service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Last radio contact with the flight was about 20:08 when the flight was descending from 11,000 feet to 7,000 feet. The controller then advised the crew to maintain 3,000 feet, expect the ILS approach, and proceed direct to the "TNNER" fix, and that information "Tango" was in effect. After a crewmember read back the information, there were no further transmissions from the airplane.
The airplane had descended to 8,300 feet by 20:10:08. It then made a 20-degree turn to the left, and by 20:10:13, had descended to 7,300 feet. It subsequently made a 45-degree turn to the right, and had descended to 5,500 feet by 20:10:18. There were no additional verifiable altitude positions.
Descent calculations between 20:10:08 and 20:10:13 indicated a rate of descent of about 12,000 feet per minute (fpm), and between 20:10:13 and 2010:18, over 21,000 fpm. Preliminary groundspeed calculations indicated about 290 knots.
Weather at the time was fine with a visibility of 10 miles, a few clouds at 7,000 feet, and scattered clouds at 10,000 feet.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The flight crew's excessive elevator input during a rapid descent under night lighting conditions, which resulted in the overstress and breakup of the airplane. Contributing to the accident was an initial loss of airplane control for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
Airframe failureLoss of control
Sources:
» El Nuevo Dia» NTSB
Photos
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
Radar plot
accident date: 02-12-2013
type: Swearingen SA227-AC Metro III
registration: N831BC
Aircraft history
| date | registration | operator | remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 1986 | N26906 | Resort Air | delivered |
| 1 October 1989 | N26906 | Trans States Airlines | airline renamed |
| 15 May 1991 | N26906 | Mesaba Air | leased |
| 5 November 1996 | N26906 | Merlin Express | leased |
| 12 August 1998 | N26906 | Yute Air Alaska | leased |
| 29 March 1999 | N26906 | IBC Airways | bought |
| 14 June 1999 | N831BC | IBC Airways | re-registered |
| 04 Oct. 2000 | N831BC | IBC Airways | minor damage in taxi incident at Miami, FL |
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Santo Domingo-Las Américas José Francisco Peña Gómez Int'l Airport to San Juan-Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport as the crow flies is 385 km (240 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
Distance from Santo Domingo-Las Américas José Francisco Peña Gómez Int'l Airport to San Juan-Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport as the crow flies is 385 km (240 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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