What happened
On July 4, 2017, at approximately 1745 UTC, a GULFSTREAM G1159A, registration YV2896, descended into the Caribbean Sea northwest of Nueva Esparta, Venezuela. The aircraft was operating a non-commercial personal flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) from Margarita Del Caribe International Airport (SVMG) to Maiquetia Simon Bolivar International Airport (SVMI).
The flight departed SVMG at approximately 1725 UTC. After takeoff, the aircraft climbed to 20,000 feet while traveling on a west-northwesterly heading. During the cruise phase, a crewmember notified air traffic control of a hydraulic system malfunction, prompting a descent to 16,000 feet. Subsequently, the crew reported a discrepancy regarding the flight controls. While the aircraft was flying at 3,000 feet, all radio contact was lost.
Search efforts were initiated following the loss of contact. Two occupants were recovered from the area, both of whom sustained 9 fatal injuries. The remaining seven occupants were not recovered and are presumed to have been fatally injured. The aircraft is presumed destroyed. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with a visibility of 6 statute miles.