What happened
On the day of the accident, a scheduled commercial air transport flight was operating its fourth sector of the day, traveling from VC Bird International Airport in Antigua to John A Osborne Airport in Montserrat. The flight was conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). After a period of heavy rain and cumulonimbus activity that had temporarily closed the airport to VFR traffic, the aircraft was cleared for departure.
Upon receiving clearance, the aircraft entered the runway but did not perform a backtrack. The pilot proceeded to takeoff without conducting engine power checks. The initial climb phase of the aircraft type appeared stable, reaching an altitude of approximately 200 to 300 feet. However, the aircraft then appeared to lose altitude without any initial yaw or roll. This was followed by a rightward yaw and roll, leading into a nose-down pitch and an incipient spin to the right. A passenger on board noted that the stall warning and its associated red light remained illuminated from the onset of the maneuver until the moment of impact. The aircraft struck the ground during this uncontrolled descent.
Findings
There were 3 fatalities and one passenger sustained serious injuries. The investigation noted that the pilot and one passenger died instantly upon impact, while a second passenger died from injuries sustained before they could be removed from the wreckage. The aircraft was loaded with a takeoff mass of 5,540 lb, which was within structural limits. While the pilot did not perform a fuel system water trap drain, the operations manual did not require it. A significant finding was that power checks were not performed prior to takeoff, as was common practice for subsequent sectors of the day.