Britten-Norman BN-2A ISLANDER accident near Vieques, Puerto Rico, August 2, 1984
On August 2, 1984 at about 12:05 pm local time, a Britten-Norman BN-2A ISLANDER, registered N589SA, was destroyed in an accident near Vieques, Puerto Rico (Vieques airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 9 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- August 2, 1984 · about 12:05 pm local time
- Place
- Vieques, Puerto Rico · Vieques
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 9 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Britten-Norman BN-2A ISLANDER BN-2A ISLA · all BN-2A ISLANDERs on the register
- Registration
- N589SA · no longer on the register · serial 38
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A WITNESS REPORTED HE HEARD AN APPARENT ENG PROBLEM AFTER THE ACFT TOOK OFF & BEGAN A LEFT TURN FOR A X-WIND DEPARTURE. REPORTEDLY, THE ACFT OSCILLATED, THEN AFTER REGAINING SOME LOST ALT, IT BANKED ABRUPTLY TO THE LEFT, NOSED DOWN, & SUBSEQUENTLY, CRASHED IN THE OCEAN IN A LEFT WING LOW, NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED EVIDENCE THE LEFT ENG HAD LOST POWER DUE TO WATER CONTAMINATION. WATER WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL STORAGE TANK AS WELL AS IN ANOTHER ACFT THAT HAD BEEN REFUELED FROM THE SAME TANK. THE LEFT PROP HAD NOT BEEN FEATHERED & THE FLAPS WERE FOUND FULL DOWN. THE PLT HAD BEEN DESIGNATED FOR 'ON-DEMAND' FLTS, BUT HE WAS NOT CERTIFIED FOR 'SCHEDULED COMMUTER' FLTS. THE COMPANY HAD DESIGNATED THIS AS AN ON-DEMAND FLT RATHER THAN AN EXTRA-SECTION SCHEDULED COMMUTER FLT. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE ACFT WAS LOADED 600 TO 700 LBS OVER THE MAX LIMIT & UP TO 5 INCHES BEHIND THE AFT CG LIMIT. FAA SURVEILLANCE OF THE COMPANY OPERATIONS WAS NOT EFFECTIVE IN IDENTIFYING PRBLMS. THE STORAGE TANK FILLER CAP (IN A WELL AREA) WAS NOT WATER TIGHT.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 723 hours in all; 71 in this make and model; 142 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4C5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Vieques Air Link, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: VQS
- Destination: STX St Croix
- Runway 9, 2,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 8 |
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.