On December 12, 1975, a Britten-Norman Islander (registration N118DW) operated by Dorado Wings was involved in an aviation accident near Charlotte Amalie-Cyril E. King (ex Harry S. Truman), US Virgin Islands during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Powerplant failure for undetermined reasons. Aircraft not recovered. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
While descending to Charlotte Amalie-Harry S. Truman Airport, both engines failed simultaneously. The pilot ditched the aircraft offshore; all seven occupants evacuated and were rescued. The aircraft sank and was not recovered.
Occurrence
While descending to Charlotte Amalie-Harry S. Truman Airport in good weather conditions, the pilot informed air traffic control that both engines had failed simultaneously. Realizing it would not be possible to reach the airport, the pilot decided to ditch the aircraft a few kilometers offshore. The airplane slid on water for a few meters before coming to rest.
Evacuation and Rescue
All seven occupants evacuated the cabin and were quickly rescued. The aircraft sank and was lost. The wreckage was not recovered.
Investigation
The official investigation determined the probable cause of the accident to be powerplant failure for undetermined reasons. The aircraft was not recovered, which limited the scope of the investigation.
An X-AIR HAWK ultralight crashed in Chonburi, Thailand, killing the pilot and injuring a passenger. The accident was caused by deteriorated wing fabric and…
A Challenger II Special ultralight aircraft (U-B23) landed off-runway at Pai Airport, Mae Hong Son, on September 17, 2024, due to a gust of wind. No injuries…
The Polish aviation safety authority is investigating a serious incident involving an AT-3R100 aircraft that occurred on September 2, 2024. The investigation…
A SZD-48-3 glider suffered damage when its left wing struck a ground obstacle during a low final approach at EPWK on June 20, 2025. The pilot was uninjured.
A 39-year-old skydiver died after a hard landing near Leszno on May 1, 2026. The PKBWL preliminary report indicates the fatal impact resulted from a late,…
A student pilot crashed an SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider into the airfield fence during a solo training flight on June 6, 2026. The pilot was uninjured, but the…