Convair 440 - NO SERIES accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 15, 2012
On March 15, 2012 at about 11:38 am local time, a Convair 440 - NO SERIES, registered N153JR, was destroyed in an accident during approach near San Juan, Puerto Rico (Luis Munoz Marin Intl airport). It was flown under large-aircraft private carriage rules (Part 125). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight crew's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after shutting down the right engine due to an in-flight fire in one of the right augmentors. The failure to maintain airspeed resulted in either an aerodynamic stall or a loss of directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2012 · about 11:38 am local time
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico · Luis Munoz Marin Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Convair 440 - NO SERIES NO SERIES · all 440 - NO SERIESs on the register
- Registration
- N153JR · registry record · serial 117
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · large-aircraft private carriage rules (Part 125)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/aviation.aspx. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-14/04 On March 15, 2012, about 0740 Atlantic standard time, a Convair CV-440-38, N153JR, operated by Fresh Air, Inc., crashed into a lagoon about 1 mile east of the departure end of runway 10 at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), San Juan, Puerto Rico. The two pilots died, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The airplane was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1251 as a cargo flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a visual flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight had departed from runway 10 at SJU destined for Princess Juliana International Airport, St. Maarten. Shortly after takeoff, the first officer declared an emergency, and then the captain requested a left turn back to SJU and asked the local air traffic controllers if they could see smoke coming from the airplane (the two tower controllers noted in postaccident interviews that they did not see more smoke than usual coming from the airplane). The controllers cleared the flight to land on runway 28, but as the airplane began to align with the runway, it crashed into a nearby lagoon (Laguna La Torrecilla).
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
What happened, in order
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during initial climb
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb
- Loss of engine power (partial) during approach
- Loss of control in flight during approach defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Flight crew
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine exhaust › (general) › Not specified
- Personnel issues › Physical › Alertness/Fatigue › Lack of sleep › Flight crew
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Documentation/record keeping › (general) › Operator
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of operation › FAA/Regulator
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Water injection › (general) › Not used/operated
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Propeller system › Propeller feather/reversing › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 22,586 hours in all; 9,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,716 hours in all; 700 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-52W (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-103W (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fresh Air, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: SJU San Juan PR at 11:35 am
- Destination: SXM Princess Julian PR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 28, 8,016 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 am from TJSJ, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.
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.