Lockheed L-188A accident near Caribbean Sea, July 14, 1990
On July 14, 1990 at about 8:27 pm local time, a Lockheed L-188A, registered N4465F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Caribbean Sea. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE INFLIGHT LOSS OF THE NOS 3 AND 4 PROPELLERS AND GEARBOXES FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS. THE FAILED COMPONENTS WERE NOT RECOVERED FROM THE CARIBBEAN SEA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 1990 · about 8:27 pm local time
- Place
- Caribbean Sea
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed L-188A
- Registration
- N4465F · no longer on the register · serial 1096
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CLIMB AT 18,000 FT THE CRW HEARD AND EXPLOSION AND LOST NOS 3 AND 4 ENGINES. THEY VISUALLY NOTED THAT THE PROPELLERS AND PORTIONS OF THE GEARBOXES WERE ALSO MISSING. THEY THEN SHUT DOWN NO 2 ENGINE DUE TO ERRATIC INDICATIONS. THEY DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED. THE GEAR BOXES AND PROPELLERS WERE NOT RECOVERED FROM THE CARIBBEAN SEA.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,060 hours in all; 3,150 in this make and model; 162 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 31,829 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 11, 1989; 884 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 116,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 501D-13 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tpi International Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: TNCC Oranjestad OF at 8:00 pm
- Destination: MPTO Panama City OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from TNCA, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 N4465F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA90LA153.