What happened
During the initial climb phase following departure from Arecibo Airport, the crew of the aircraft notified air traffic control regarding a loss of power in one of its engines. In an attempt to manage the emergency, the flight crew intended to perform an emergency landing back at the airfield.
However, as the situation progressed, the pilot-in-command determined that the aircraft lacked sufficient performance to reach the runway safely. Consequently, the decision was made to ditch the aircraft in the waters off the coast of Arecibo. Following the impact with the water, all three occupants were successfully recovered by rescue teams. The vessel, which was operated by Luis Pagan, subsequently sank and remains lost.
Findings
Investigations into the incident identified a powerplant failure as the primary factor leading to the emergency, though the specific underlying reason for the engine malfunction was not determined.