Piper PA42 accident near Grand Case, Fr, May 5, 2012
On May 5, 2012 at about 6:40 am local time, a Piper PA42, registered FGXES, was destroyed in an accident near Grand Case. It was a business flight under non-U.S. private rules. 4 people were killed.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2012 · about 6:40 am local time
- Place
- Grand Case, France
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA42 UNDESIGNAT · all PA42s on the register
- Registration
- FGXES · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 5, 2012, at 0640 UTC, a Piper PA42 Cheyenne III, French registration F-GXES, was destroyed when it crashed about four minutes after takeoff into the Atlantic Ocean, three miles from Grand Case, St. Maarten. The pilot and three passengers on board were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The foreign, non-scheduled cross-country flight was en route to Fort de France, Martinique. Witnesses saw the airplane explode and crash into the sea. This investigation is under the jurisdiction of the government of France. This report is for informational purposes only and contains information released by, or obtained from the French BEA. Any further information regarding the investigation can be obtained from the French BEA at: Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses Zone Sud – Batiment 153 200 rue de Paris Aeroport du Borget 93352 Le Bourget Cedex France Telephone: +33 1 49 92 72 00 Facsimile: +33 1 49 92 72 03 E-mail: per@bea-fr.org
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 11,200 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt And Whitney Canada PT6A-41 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt And Whitney Canada PT61-41 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TFFG Grand Case
- Destination: TFFD Fort De France
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under FGXES the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.