American Eagle Flight 5452
Encyclopedia
American Eagle Flight 5424 was a commuter flight between Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
in San Juan
, Puerto Rico
and Eugenio María de Hostos Airport
in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
. The flight was operated by Executive Airlines
, doing business as American Eagle
and was operated by a CASA C-212 aircraft. Visual meteorological conditions
were present as the plane made its final approach to runway 9 at Mayagüez on May 8, 1987. The plane crashed while landing, 600 feet short of the runway. The crash destroyed the aircraft, killed both pilots, but left the four passengers with only minor injuries.
. As a result of the impact of the crash and subsequent fire, the aircraft was destroyed. The aircraft involved in the crash had prior maintenance troubles related to engine torque. In fact, just a day before the accident, issues with the propeller blade angle were addressed by Executive's maintenance department.
experience with about 10,000 hours of total pilot time. He had accumulated about 5,000 hours of turbine engine airplane experience, 4,500 hours of which were in the deHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter and 473 hours of which were in the CASA C-212. The first officer, Reynold E. Santiaqo Cordero, 32, also held an ATP certificate. He had 10 years of pilot experience with about 4,473 hours of total pilot time, 459 hours of which were in the CASA C-212. He was not type rated in the CASA C-212.
(NTSB) investigated. The NTSB investigation was hindered by the lack of flight data or voice recorders, which were not required on commuter aircraft at the time, and by lack of radar data, as the Mayagüez control tower had been shut down by the Federal Aviation Administration
due to budgetary constraints. Airport facilities, however, were not a factor in the crash.
At the onset, the NTSB determined that the captain has flown an unstable approach, descending steeply and too close to the runway. As a result, the captain would not have had sufficient time to correct problems as they arose. Furthermore, the plane's flaps were found to be in the up position, which is improper procedure. The NTSB could only speculate that either the pilots forgot to set the flaps or that they incorrectly retracted the flaps while attempting to go-around. The flap setting error could have contributed to a stall.
Ultimately, the cause of the crash was not blamed on pilot error, although that was a contributing factor, but rather on maintenance issues at Executive Airlines. Pilots on prior flights with this aircraft had reported difficulties with the engine thrust, but few proper repairs were done. It seemed likely that one of the engines slipped to idle causing asymmetrical thrust and a loss of speed. The NTSB concluded that Executive Airlines' scheduled maintenance and inspections of the airplane were not performed in conformance with its approved maintenance program and that the manner in which required inspections of maintenance tasks were recorded and the subsequent approval of the airplane for return to service were not conducted in accordance with the proper maintenance practices.
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and Eugenio María de Hostos Airport
Eugenio María de Hostos Airport
Eugenio María de Hostos Airport is a small public airport located four miles north of the central business district of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. The airport, named after the celebrated Mayagüez native Eugenio Maria de Hostos, covers and has one runway...
in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The flight was operated by Executive Airlines
Executive Airlines
Executive Airlines, Inc. is an airline headquartered in Carolina, Puerto Rico.Executive Airlines operates an extensive inter-island network in the Caribbean and to the Bahamas and the USA in American Eagle colors. Its main base is Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, San Juan. In addition,...
, doing business as American Eagle
American Eagle Airlines
American Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly owned subsidiaries...
and was operated by a CASA C-212 aircraft. Visual meteorological conditions
Visual meteorological conditions
In aviation, visual meteorological conditions is an aviation flight category in which visual flight rules flight is permitted—that is, conditions in which pilots have sufficient visibility to fly the aircraft maintaining visual separation from terrain and other aircraft. They are the opposite of...
were present as the plane made its final approach to runway 9 at Mayagüez on May 8, 1987. The plane crashed while landing, 600 feet short of the runway. The crash destroyed the aircraft, killed both pilots, but left the four passengers with only minor injuries.
Accident
Flight 5424 took off five minutes late, at 6:20 am, from San Juan with only four passengers aboard. Half an hour later, as the flight was landing, witnesses reported hearing the engine make irregular sounds and then observing the plane bank to the left and impact the ground. It was initially reported that the pilot lost control while landing. The plane crashed short of the runway and slammed into the airport perimeter fence. After the crash, a fire broke out, which was contained within minutes by airport firefighters.Aircraft
The aircraft, a CASA C-212~C registered N432CA, was put into service with Executive airlines in October of 1986 after it was purchased from PrinairPrinair
Prinair was a Puerto Rican airline. It was Puerto Rico's domestic and international flag carrier airline for almost two decades.- History :Services began in 1966, under the name Aerolíneas de Ponce , with Aero Commanders...
. As a result of the impact of the crash and subsequent fire, the aircraft was destroyed. The aircraft involved in the crash had prior maintenance troubles related to engine torque. In fact, just a day before the accident, issues with the propeller blade angle were addressed by Executive's maintenance department.
Crew
The captain, Franklin Rivera Velez, 44, held an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate. He had 20 years of pilotexperience with about 10,000 hours of total pilot time. He had accumulated about 5,000 hours of turbine engine airplane experience, 4,500 hours of which were in the deHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter and 473 hours of which were in the CASA C-212. The first officer, Reynold E. Santiaqo Cordero, 32, also held an ATP certificate. He had 10 years of pilot experience with about 4,473 hours of total pilot time, 459 hours of which were in the CASA C-212. He was not type rated in the CASA C-212.
Investigation
Early similarities were drawn between Flight 5452 and that of Northwest Airlink Flight 2268, another CASA C-212 which crashed in Detroit earlier that year. The National Transportation Safety BoardNational Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
(NTSB) investigated. The NTSB investigation was hindered by the lack of flight data or voice recorders, which were not required on commuter aircraft at the time, and by lack of radar data, as the Mayagüez control tower had been shut down by the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
due to budgetary constraints. Airport facilities, however, were not a factor in the crash.
At the onset, the NTSB determined that the captain has flown an unstable approach, descending steeply and too close to the runway. As a result, the captain would not have had sufficient time to correct problems as they arose. Furthermore, the plane's flaps were found to be in the up position, which is improper procedure. The NTSB could only speculate that either the pilots forgot to set the flaps or that they incorrectly retracted the flaps while attempting to go-around. The flap setting error could have contributed to a stall.
Ultimately, the cause of the crash was not blamed on pilot error, although that was a contributing factor, but rather on maintenance issues at Executive Airlines. Pilots on prior flights with this aircraft had reported difficulties with the engine thrust, but few proper repairs were done. It seemed likely that one of the engines slipped to idle causing asymmetrical thrust and a loss of speed. The NTSB concluded that Executive Airlines' scheduled maintenance and inspections of the airplane were not performed in conformance with its approved maintenance program and that the manner in which required inspections of maintenance tasks were recorded and the subsequent approval of the airplane for return to service were not conducted in accordance with the proper maintenance practices.