What happened
On July 1, 2011, a Cessna A185F, registration N8436Q, crashed into the Caribbean Sea near Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. The flight departed from Benjamin Rivera Noriega Airport (TJCP) on Culebra Island, destined for Mercedita Airport (TJPS) in Ponce. The flight was intended to be a visual flight rules (VFR) personal trip.
At approximately 1416, the aircraft departed Culebra. Radar data showed that the airplane initially climbed to 2,000 feet above mean sea level, then descended to 1,800 feet and later 1,600 feet. Approximately 17 minutes after takeoff, the aircraft entered a right 270-degree turn and began a rapid descent. Interpolation of radar data indicated a descent rate exceeding 5,000 feet per minute before the aircraft impacted the water. The pilot and four passengers were 5 fatal.
The investigation
Investigators recovered the wreckage from 85 feet of water about one mile offshore. The examination of the wreckage showed the airplane had broken apart during impact. The left wing was separated from its mounting, the right wing was fragmented, and the engine was attached to the firewall only by Bowden cables. The propeller had separated from the engine.
Mechanical analysis of the wreckage revealed no evidence of preimpact malfunction or failure of the aircraft structure, engine, propeller, or flight control systems. Control continuity was established from the cockpit to the breaks in the system, which showed evidence of failure due to tensile overload. The aircraft was equipped for operations in instrument meteorological conditions but lacked any weather avoidance equipment. No record was found indicating the pilot had received a weather briefing or filed a flight plan.
Weather radar and satellite imagery confirmed that a tropical wave was producing embedded thunderstorms, heavy rain, and winds of approximately 47 knots in the area. Correlation of the aircraft's ground track with radar data showed the pilot was maneuvering through weather, and the aircraft's position at the time of the accident coincided with a thunderstorm.