at least four deaths in plane accident in punta cana

[Marcion]

Some years back I had a delayed flight on LIAT flying out of Antigua and they took some of us aside and walked us across the tarmac to a very small plane. You could see the heat waves shimmering over the black asphalt.

All six of us were big boys and luggage crammed it all full -- I stupidly got in first and that meant the back seat. No AC, no breeze, 105F and stifling. Door shut. Pilot walking around the plane on his cell phone with none of us having a clue when we're leaving -- but aware we were looking at a 45 minute hop.

Right then and there I had my first panic attack. Had any of those guys impeded my movement to the door they would be dead and I would certainly be in Her Majesty's Prison right now.

Don't fly on those little regional planes, my Fren.

 

[Peterj]

In a Dutch online newspaper I just see that one of the passengers was a woman (22years old) from Holland.

 

[Mauricio]

In a Dutch online newspaper I just see that one of the passengers was a woman (22years old) from Holland.

Nederlandse (22) omgekomen bij vliegcrash|Binnenland| Telegraaf.nl

 

[Peterj]

Looks like in Holland they know more about the accident than they do here!
This morning on the Dominican news they were talking about 2 people from Chili, 2 British and 2 Belgian.....but of course politics is much more important than the negative influence of this crash for tourism.....

 

[Mauricio]

They mention the name of the Dutch victim so that must for sure be something the Dominican authorities also know.

 

[Chateau]

I took the excursion from PC to Samana a couple of years ago. On the return trip the group was split into three and we flew back in different planes. I travelled in the co pilot seat and the pilots name was Hector. Not sure if it is the same pilot but if so, he was a really nice guy and I am sure he wil be missed. RIP Hector and his passengers .

 

[playacaribe2]

Looks like in Holland they know more about the accident than they do here!
This morning on the Dominican news they were talking about 2 people from Chili, 2 British and 2 Belgian.....but of course politics is much more important than the negative influence of this crash for tourism.....

There are lots of lessons to be learned from this tragic event....some for the civil aviation authorities that regulate internal flights/certifications, but far more importantly, for those that fly with these small charters.

For the sake of your loved ones, text or e-mail your itinerary before you board. I imagine there were lots of people frantically calling friends/relatives on vacation once the crash story was picked up by media in other countries. And all they repeated was what had been sent out by the DR media....which we now know to be inaccurate....so much so the British Foreign Office issued its own press release that no Brits were on board....contra to the reports.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[KateP]

Policia Nacional finally confirmed the names and nationalities of the deceased Polic?a identifica turistas fallecidos en accidente avioneta Punta Cana ~ Bavaro Digital

 

[dv8]

Mueren siete en accidente a?reo en Punta Cana - DiarioLibre.com

La polic?a identific? las v?ctimas como Javier Izquierdo y Mar?a Dolores Villareal, espa?oles ; Franco Antonio Urbina Parraguez y Vanessa Nicole Hern?ndez C?ceres, chilenos; y Nin Plas y Anouk Vanp, belgas, as? como el piloto H?ctor Soriano, dominicano, y oriundo de San Pedro de Macor?s.

 

[beeza]

I don't want to cast too many aspersions on a pubic forum, but I have knowledge of some very serious maintenance practices by the owner of this company.

All I can say is that the "Latin" culture is very much a part of his operation.

 

[playacaribe2]

I don't want to cast too many aspersions on a pubic forum, but I have knowledge of some very serious maintenance practices by the owner of this company.

All I can say is that the "Latin" culture is very much a part of his operation.

Beeza:

Does the DR require 100 hour/progressive and annual inspections by certified techs?

And, if so, is there an administrative agency that gets copies of those records?


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[Meemselle]

Horrible tragedy. And one of the few cases where it doesn't seem to be pilot error.

 

[Mauricio]

Mueren siete en accidente a?reo en Punta Cana - DiarioLibre.com

La polic?a identific? las v?ctimas como Javier Izquierdo y Mar?a Dolores Villareal, espa?oles ; Franco Antonio Urbina Parraguez y Vanessa Nicole Hern?ndez C?ceres, chilenos; y Nin Plas y Anouk Vanp, belgas, as? como el piloto H?ctor Soriano, dominicano, y oriundo de San Pedro de Macor?s.

So they still have it wrong. The girl named Anouk is Dutch, not Belgian and her last name is not Vanp.

 

[dv8]

So they still have it wrong. The girl named Anouk is Dutch, not Belgian and her last name is not Vanp.

have you ever seen a dominican newspaper print a name of a foreigner right? sometimes they even have a copy of passport with the name and they still fcuk it up in the text.

 

[beeza]

Beeza:

Does the DR require 100 hour/progressive and annual inspections by certified techs?

And, if so, is there an administrative agency that gets copies of those records?


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

You can download all of IDAC's manuals from this link IDAC Reglamento Aeron?utico Dominicano - IDAC

RAD43 is the part covering maintenance. I don't think the DR is authorised for progressive inspections, and looking through the requirements of the 100hr or annual, I didn't come across any references to check that all AD's and Service Bulletins had been complied with. I'm an IA and most of my work when completing an annual is done in front of a computer screen doing homework!

Additionally I don't have my Dominican maintenance license, but I have been informed i can validate my FAA without taking any exams. I don't know what the requisites are to become an inspector or IA. I'll see if I can find out and report further.

 

[Mauricio]

have you ever seen a dominican newspaper print a name of a foreigner right? sometimes they even have a copy of passport with the name and they still fcuk it up in the text.

No, but from 'van Putten' to Vanp is a stretch.

 

[playacaribe2]

You can download all of IDAC's manuals from this link IDAC Reglamento Aeron?utico Dominicano - IDAC

RAD43 is the part covering maintenance. I don't think the DR is authorised for progressive inspections, and looking through the requirements of the 100hr or annual, I didn't come across any references to check that all AD's and Service Bulletins had been complied with. I'm an IA and most of my work when completing an annual is done in front of a computer screen doing homework!

Additionally I don't have my Dominican maintenance license, but I have been informed i can validate my FAA without taking any exams. I don't know what the requisites are to become an inspector or IA. I'll see if I can find out and report further.

Thanks for the link......very informative.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[wrecksum]

Overload cannot be a factor in this case. If a plane can take off and climb and fly for 20 Km then it will continue to fly despite the weight.

As long as something else does not go wrong, which evidently did happen.

Most planes of this type are not required to carry a co-pilot even on commercial operations and it is quite normal to use the seat as a passenger seat.This is not money-grabbing,simply normal practice.
There are (surprise, surprise!) conflicting reports coming from IDAC about the possible cause and as far as I know the ATC conversations have not been released, so we will have to wait.

 

[playacaribe2]

Overload cannot be a factor in this case. If a plane can take off and climb and fly for 20 Km then it will continue to fly despite the weight.

As long as something else does not go wrong, which evidently did happen.

Most planes of this type are not required to carry a co-pilot even on commercial operations and it is quite normal to use the seat as a passenger seat.This is not money-grabbing,simply normal practice.
There are (surprise, surprise!) conflicting reports coming from IDAC about the possible cause and as far as I know the ATC conversations have not been released, so we will have to wait.

We will agree to disagree then.

An overloaded (weight) plane can put undo stress on both the air frame and power plant. This stress could have started a series of events involving the power plant failure that led to the crash.

Second an overloaded plane (weight) with a dead stick will descend faster than a lighter one. While variations in weight do not affect the glide angle, the heavier one ends up on the ground faster....leaving less reaction time for the pilot.

Crashes of aircraft with under 9 passengers are usually not just one event wonders. They generally involve a chain of events that both can and often do include mechanical error coupled with pilot error.

I have a unique interest in this particular crash because it is a plane (not this particular one) that I have flown many times and is the forerunner to the Saratoga I currently fly. They are extremely capable aircraft....when properly maintained AND properly flown.

Lets hope IDAC does a better job of determining causation than the other agencies did at releasing the victims names/nationalities.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[dv8]

No, but from 'van Putten' to Vanp is a stretch.

maybe the passport partially burnt and all that could be seen was "van p"? or some other source, like it often happens in europe, reported name only with initials of surname?