The Civil Aviation Board’s Aviation Accident Investigation Commission (CIAA) presented the preliminary details of the investigation into the crash of a jet flight operated by Helidosa Aviation Group. Nine persons died in the accident, including six US citizens, the Venezuelan pilot and Dominican co-pilot and crew.
The president of the Civil Aviation Board (JAC), Jose Ernesto Marte Piantini, together with the director of the CIAA, Air Force General Enmanuel Souffront said at a press conference that as a result of the crash on 5:25pm on 15 December 2021, the Gulfstream Aerospace GIV-SP aircraft, registration HI-1050, owned by the company Helidosa, and operated under Dominican Aeronautical Regulation 135 of the Aeronautical Regulations of the Dominican Republic, was destroyed upon impact with the ground when the pilots attempted an emergency landing at the Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo.
According to the CIAA investigation, the two pilots, the cabin attendant and the six passengers suffered fatal injuries from the impact. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were favorable.
The investigation revealed that the aircraft had flown in from Puerto Rico to the Helidosa base in La Isabela International Airport. The crew reported mechanical problems. The ground spoilers were to be changed before the next flight to Orlando, Florida.
The primary purpose of the ground spoilers is to maximize wheel brake efficiency by “spoiling” or dumping the lift generated by the wing and thus forcing the full weight of the aircraft onto the landing gear. The spoiler panels also help slow the aircraft by producing aerodynamic drag.
Marte Piantini said that the security cameras at the La Isabela International Airport show the aircraft was towed to the Helidosa hangar where work would be carried out on the right wing for around three hours. During that time, the passengers who would be traveling to Orlando, Florida, waited in the VIP terminal of the airport.
The Investigation Commission was able to verify that a similar aircraft was on the main ramp as a reserve to be used in case the maintenance work was not ready in time. Yet, according to a statement made by a senior executive of Helidosa, the passengers requested to fly on that particular aircraft.
Upon completion of the maintenance, security cameras show activity under the aircraft’s right wing, and spoiler movements are observed on both wings. Once completed, the aircraft was towed to the main ramp and prepared for the flight to Orlando.
The CIAA found that security cameras show movement at the flight controls before and during taxiing. “Both ground spoilers went up and only the left wing spoilers retracted, the three right wing spoilers remained extended.
According to the investigation, a video taken by a witness from Quisqueya Stadium shows that the aircraft continued with the right wing spoilers in flight. In contrast, the left wing spoilers appear to be retracted.
According to the recordings of the aircraft with the control tower, at that moment, the first officer declared to have a hydraulic problem and later reported issues related to the ailerons. He then declared an emergency and asked for vectors to direct him back to the Isabela International Airport. As the situation progressed, the pilot decided to divert to Las Americas International Airport, where the plane was authorized to land in a south-north direction on runway 35. After overtaking the head of the runway and with a left turn, the plane hit the trees and then the ground on the right side of the runway about 200 meters away. The total duration of the flight was about 15 minutes.
The Aviation Accident Investigation Commission (CIAA) was immediately activated, took control of the accident and initiated an investigation in accordance with the provisions of Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on the investigation of aviation accidents, notifying the countries entitled to participate, such as the country of design of the aircraft, the country where the engines and the aircraft were manufactured. These sent representatives to the Dominican Republic to join the investigation.
Investigators from the United States’ National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), consultants from Rolls Royce as the engine manufacturer and Gulfstream as the aircraft manufacturer are involved in the process led by the Dominican Republic as the country where the accident occurred.
Read more in Spanish:
JAC
Diario Libre
Somos Pueblo
19 January 2022