Narrative:A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan operated by Nature Air was destroyed after impacting wooded terrain near Punta Islita Airport, Costa Rica. All 12 occupants suffered fatal injuries.
The accident airplane was the second of a flight of two airplanes transporting hotel guests from Punta Islita to San José, where most of the passengers had international airline flights out of Costa Rica. Both airplanes were Cessna 208B airplanes. The first airplane departed Punta Islita using runway 3 and after liftoff made a right turn through a pass through the hills that led back out to the ocean. The first airplane reached San José successfully. The accident airplane remained on the ground for about 15 minutes longer. According to the hotel worker that was at the airport during the departure, when the accident airplane took off, it did not make the same right turn as the prior airplane but continued on runway heading. The terrain in the direction of the runway orientation consisted of a valley with rising terrain on either side. The valley continues and turns left with the floor of the valley rising until reaching a mountain. When heading in a northerly direction there was no exit from the valley. The airplane impacted terrain on the northwest side of the valley about 0.5 miles from the departure end of runway 3 at Punta Islita.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The flight crew's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering to exit an area of rising terrain, which resulted in an exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack and an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the flight crew's decision to continue the takeoff toward rising terrain that likely exceeded the airplane's climb capability, the lack of adequate weather reporting available for wind determination, and the lack of documented training for an airport requiring a non-standard departure."
Accident investigation:
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Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Status: | Investigation completed |
Duration: | 2 years | Accident number: | CEN18FA063 | Download report: | Final report
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Classification:
Loss of control
Sources:
»
https://www.teletica.com/182112_avioneta-se-estrella-con-12-personas-a-bordo-en-guanacaste» NTSB
Follow-up / safety actions
Costa Ricas aviation authority (Dirección General de Aviación Civil) suspended the airline's AOC on January 12, 2018 because several key employees were no longer with the company.
Nature Airs pilot training director died in the accident while operations manager quit and the safety manager had requested a leave of absence.
Photos
accident date:
31-12-2017type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: TI-BEI
accident date:
31-12-2017type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: TI-BEI
accident date:
31-12-2017type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: TI-BEI
accident date:
31-12-2017type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: TI-BEI
accident date:
31-12-2017type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: TI-BEI
accident date:
31-12-2017type: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
registration: TI-BEI
Video, social media
Aircraft history
19 Nov. 2001 |
N375WY |
North Platte Express Inc |
registered
|
12 Dec. 2007 |
N375WY |
Grand Canyon Airlines |
|
16 Jan. 2008 |
N181GC |
Grand Canyon Airlines |
registered
|
8 Dec. 2011 |
TI-BEI |
Nature Air |
registered
|
11 Feb. 2016 |
N181GC |
Grand Canyon Airlines |
registered
|
21 Nov. 2017 |
TI-BEI |
Nature Air |
registered |
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 Punta Islita Airport to San José-Juan Santamaria International Airport as the crow flies is 128 km (80 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.