FlyMontserrat Flight 107

FlyMontserrat Flight 5M-107

VP-MON on 9 April 2012, four months before the crash
Accident summary
Date 7 October 2012
Summary Control lost following engine failure during or immediately after takeoff
Site V. C. Bird International Airport, Antigua and Barbuda
Passengers 3
Crew 1
Fatalities 3
Injuries (non-fatal) 1
Survivors 1
Aircraft type Britten-Norman Islander
Operator FlyMontserrat
Registration VP-MON
Flight origin V. C. Bird International Airport
Destination John A. Osborne Airport

FlyMontserrat Flight 107 was a short haul flight from V. C. Bird International Airport, Antigua to John A. Osborne Airport, Montserrat on 7 October 2012. The flight was being undertaken by a Britten-Norman Islander, registration VP-MON with one crew and three passengers on board. The flight crashed shortly after take off near the end of the runway. Three of the four passengers and crew died in the crash.[1]

Accident

At 16:15 local time FlyMontserrat Flight 107 was cleared for take off from runway 07 at V. C. Bird International Airport. Shortly after the Islander took off it started to yaw to the right and stopped climbing. The aircraft continued rolling to the right and lost height, it hit the ground and cartwheeled before coming to rest. The pilot and one passenger were killed on impact while two passengers were injured and were taken to the hospital. However, one of the two injured passengers later died.

Investigation

The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) is responsible for regulation and oversight of aviation in Antigua, where the accident occurred.[2] Montserrat does not have its own investigators. As a British Overseas Territory this function is normally performed by the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch, which sent a team to investigate the cause of the crash.[2] Bad weather conditions were reported for the time prior to the accident, however conditions were reported as good at time of takeoff. A preliminary report by the ECCAA was released on 13 October 2012 saying that after examining the wreckage of the aircraft, it showed that the right engine was not producing power and the propeller was not feathered. The fuel was examined and found that the fuel system showed contamination with significant quantities of water.[3] On 4 July 2013 the AAIB preliminary results of the investigation setting out changes to prevent water contamination of fuel system and an Airworthiness Directive was issued by EASA to require a check if the correct fuel filler cap had been installed. Additionally, the AAIB decided to issue a safety recommendation to EASA.

It is recommended that the European Aviation Safety Agency takes action to require that Britten-Norman Islander aircraft are equipped with fuel suction filter assemblies which minimise the likelihood of any water present in the fuel tank sumps being fed to the engines.[4][5]

References

  1. ↑ "Crash: Montserrat BN2P at Antigua on Oct 7th 2012, lost height after takeoff, contaminated fuel". Avherald.com. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  2. 1 2 Hewlett, LK. "UK Air Accidents Bureau Joins Investigation into Fly Montserrat Crash". The St. Kitts-Nevis Observer. Retrieved 14 October 2012. "The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA), the OECS Institution responsible for regulating aviation safety and security within the OECS Member States in accordance with international standards, has also officially launched its investigation into the crash." and "The aircraft was manufactured in the UK, the country of occurrence was Antigua; there are no others relevant. So the ECCAA (in Antigua) will be the lead investigator and the UKAIB will be the partner investigators. Montserrat has no investigators, and in fact that service is the responsibility of the UKAIB, because Montserrat is an Overseas Territory," he said."
  3. ↑ Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority, ECCAA. "Interim Report Released on Cause of Fly Montserrat Crash: Water In Fuel Feeding System". MNI Alive. Retrieved 14 October 2012. (Archive)
  4. ↑ "Britten-Norman BN2A-26 Islander, VP-MON" (PDF). AAIB. Retrieved 4 July 2013. (Archive)
  5. ↑ "AAIB recommends BN-2A Islander changes to prevent water contamination of fuel system". ASN. Retrieved 4 July 2013.

Coordinates: 17°08′00″N 61°47′47″W / 17.1333°N 61.7964°W / 17.1333; -61.7964

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