Incident Overview

Date: Wednesday 5 March 1969
Aircraft Type: de Havilland DH-114 Heron 2D
Owner/operator: Prinair
Registration Number: N563PR
Location: 24 km SE of San Juan – ÿ Puerto Rico
Phase of Flight: Take off
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 19 / Occupants: 19
Component Affected: Aircraft (Prinair 277), Heron (N575PR)Aircraft (Prinair 277), Heron (N575PR)
Investigating Agency: NTSBNTSB
Category: Accident
A Prinair flight 277 experienced a catastrophic crash due to vectoring into mountainous terrain during IFR operations. The flight was initially instructed to maintain 4,000 feet, but the aircraft subsequently veered east of the Isla Verde intersection, approximately 3 miles away. This deviation resulted in a crash near the top of a knoll in the Sierra de Luquillo mountains, at an elevation of approximately 2400 feet (731 meters). The Heron, a nearby aircraft, crashed shortly after, and the construction number of the Prinair (14125) was reported.A Prinair flight 277 experienced a catastrophic crash due to vectoring into mountainous terrain during IFR operations. The flight was initially instructed to maintain 4,000 feet, but the aircraft subsequently veered east of the Isla Verde intersection, approximately 3 miles away. This deviation resulted in a crash near the top of a knoll in the Sierra de Luquillo mountains, at an elevation of approximately 2400 feet (731 meters). The Heron, a nearby aircraft, crashed shortly after, and the construction number of the Prinair (14125) was reported.

Description

Prinair flight 277 departed Saint Thomas at 17:15 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 construction number of this aircraft, 14125, was also reported for DH-114 Heron N575PR that crashed on 24 July 1979. 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.”

Primary Cause

Vectoring 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.Vectoring 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.

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