2012 Convair CV-440-38 Crash at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (N153JR)

Accident Overview and Aircraft Details On March 15, 2012, at approximately 0740 Atlantic standard time, a Convair CV-440-38 with registration N153JR, operated by Fresh Air, Inc., crashed into a lagoon located about one mile east of the departure end of runway 10 at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces, and both pilots on board were killed. The flight was operating as a cargo operation under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1251. The NTSB assigned the report number NTSB/AAR-14/04, and the full report is available on the NTSB website. ## Flight Operations and Emergency Declaration The aircraft departed runway 10 at SJU with Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten as its destination. Visual meteorological conditions were present, and a visual flight rules flight plan had been filed. Shortly after takeoff, the first officer declared an emergency. The captain then requested a left turn back to SJU and inquired with local air traffic controllers whether they observed smoke emanating from the aircraft. According to post-accident interviews, the two tower controllers stated they did not see more smoke than usual. ## Approach and Impact The air traffic controllers cleared the flight to land on runway 28. As the aircraft began to align with the runway, it crashed into the nearby Laguna La Torrecilla. The source does not specify a probable cause.