Casa 212 accident near Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, June 7, 1992
On June 7, 1992 at about 6:34 pm local time, a Casa 212, registered N355CA, was destroyed in an accident near Mayaguez, Puerto Rico (Eugenuio Maria De Hosto airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 5 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE BETA BLOCKING DEVICE FOR UNDETERMINED REASON(S), AND THE SECOND-PILOT'S INADVERTENT ACTIVATION OF THE POWER LEVER, OR LEVERS, AFT OF THE FLIGHT IDLE POSITION AND INTO THE BETA RANGE, RESULTING IN A LOSS OF AIRPLANE CONTROL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 1992 · about 6:34 pm local time
- Place
- Mayaguez, Puerto Rico · Eugenuio Maria De Hosto
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Casa 212
- Registration
- N355CA · registry record · serial 234
- 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
THE AIRPLANE CRASHED ON APCH 3/4 MI SW OF THE ARPT. A WITNESS HEARD SOUND HE ASSOCIATED WITH PROPS GOING INTO REVERSE, THEN OBSERVED AIRPLANE EMERGE FROM CLOUDS IN A NOSE-LOW ATTITUDE. CVR TAPE REVEALED SOUND OF AN ABRUPT CHANGE IN FREQ & AMPLITUDE 10 SECS PRIOR TO IMPACT. EXAM OF THE LEFT ENG BETA INDICATOR LAMP REVEALED HEAVY OXIDE DEPOSIT & STRETCHED COILS INDICATIVE OF THE LAMP BEING ILLUMINATED AT IMPACT; RIGHT ENG BETA LAMP WAS DESTROYED. POWER LEVERS AND (BETA MODE) TRIGGER LOCKS OPERATED NORMALLY; TRIGGER RETURN SPRINGS INTACT. FLIGHT IDLE STOPS SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF EXCESSIVE WEAR OR DEFORMATION. THE POWER LEVER (BETA) BLOCKING DEVICE LOCKOUT SOLENOID WAS TESTED ELECTRICALLY AND FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. THE RIGGING OF THE BETA LOCKOUT DEVICE COULD NOT BE CHECKED DUE TO IMPACT DAMAGE. THE OPERATOR CONDUCTED A FUNCT TEST OF THE ELECTRICAL OR BACKUP BETA BLOCKING DEVICES ON THE REMAINING 8 CASA 212 AIRPLANES; 3 WERE FOUND TO BE INOPERATIVE. NEITHER THE MFGR NOR OPERATOR HAD AN INSPECTION OR FUNCT TEST REQUIREMENT FOR THE BLOCKING DEVICES.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,634 hours in all; 2,634 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 71 in the last 30 days; 3,113 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,135 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 29, 1992; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,427 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-10R-51 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Executive Air Charter, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: TSJU San Juan PR at 5:57 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from EXK, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
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.