What happened
On January 3, 1997, a Cessna 337 F aircraft, registered PJ-ATE, arrived at Saint-Barthélémy airport from Saint-Martin Juliana airport to deliver mail. The aircraft positioned itself on heading 280 with both engines still running.
During the procedure, a passenger—who also served as the company's chief pilot—exited the aircraft carrying a mail bag. As the passenger stepped onto the ground, the bag fell and was blown forward by the wind. In an attempt to retrieve the bag, the passenger ran toward the front of the aircraft and struck the rotating propeller, resulting in one fatality.
The investigation
The investigation established that the company regularly performed mail deliveries at Saint-Barthélémy. Under standard operating procedures, the engines were typically shut down during these ground operations. However, on this specific occasion, the decision was made to perform the unloading with the engines running to expedite the process.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the decision to conduct engine-running operations for the purpose of saving time.
- A lack of vigilance regarding the hazards of active propellers during ground maneuvers contributed to the fatal contact.