Britten-Norman BN-2 accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, December 13, 1984
On December 13, 1984 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Britten-Norman BN-2, registered N119DW, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico (San Juan airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved. 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
- December 13, 1984 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico · San Juan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Britten-Norman BN-2 · all BN-2s on the register
- Registration
- N119DW · no longer on the register · serial 243
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LANDING THE FLT WAS DIRECTED BY GROUND CONTROL TO TAXI TO THE CARGO RAMP MAKING ROOM FOR A TAXIING BOEING 747. GROUND CONTROL THEN ASKED THE ACFT TO MAKE A 180 DEG TURN AND TAXI FURTHER EAST ON THE RAMP. AS THE LEFT TURN WAS COMPLETED THE RIGHT BRAKE CYLINDER FAILED INTERNALLY. THE ACFT CONTINUED LEFT COLLIDING WITH A PARKED FUEL TRUCK.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,294 hours in all; 303 in this make and model; 315 in the last 90 days; 2,118 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,736 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 66 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,700 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Crown Air, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: EIS Beef Island OF at 7:30 pm
- Destination: SJU San Juan PR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 10, 8,016 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 pm from SJU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
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.