2023 Cessna 172M Accident Near St. Thomas, USVI (N13384)

Accident Overview and Flight Details On August 4, 2023, at 2117 Atlantic standard time, a Cessna 172M, registration N13384, was presumed destroyed following an accident near Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands (USVI). The aircraft was operating as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The commercial pilot and the private pilot were not located and were presumed fatally injured. According to an FAA inspector, the flight's purpose was for the private pilot to accumulate additional flight experience toward an instrument rating. The aircraft departed Rafael Hernandez Airport (BQN) in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, at approximately 1933. It was en route to Cyril E. King Airport (STT) in Charlotte Amalie, USVI, on an instrument flight rules flight plan at 5,000 feet mean sea level (msl). At 2043:25, the flight crew requested the ILS Runway 10 approach at STT, followed by the missed approach procedure and a return to BQN. The San Juan approach controller issued missed approach instructions to turn right to a 250° heading and climb and maintain 3,000 feet msl. The flight crew acknowledged with a correct readback, after which no further transmissions were received from the crew.