What happened
On 2-October, a Divi Divi Air flight, operating as DVR014, departed from Curaçao International Airport (Hato) bound for Bonaire International Airport (Flamingo). The aircraft, a twelve-seat aircraft with registration PJ-SUN, had completed several successful shuttle flights earlier that morning before the scheduled 09:30 departure. Following a period of refueling, the aircraft took off at approximately 09:47 under visual flight rules.
While climbing to flight level 035, the pilot attempted to adjust the throttle quadrant. At this moment, the right engine lost power. The pilot responded by increasing power to the left engine, feathering the right propeller, and managing the resulting rudder forces. Despite multiple attempts to restart the right engine, the failure persisted. The pilot notified Hato Tower of the engine loss and requested priority landing at Flamingo airport.
As the flight progressed toward Bonaire, the aircraft began a gradual descent, averaging a loss of approximately 140 feet per minute. Passengers noted that the aircraft's pitch increased and the airspeed decreased. During the final approach, the pilot reported a continuous loss of altitude, dropping from 1000 feet to 200 feet. The pilot steered the aircraft toward Klein Bonaire to perform an emergency landing on the water.
At 10:17, the PJ-SUN impacted the water approximately 0.7 nautical miles from Klein Bonaire. The impact caused the left front door to detach and the windscreen to shatter, leading to rapid flooding of the cabin. All 9 passengers successfully evacuated the sinking aircraft. While the passengers were rescued by nearby recreational divers, the pilot remained trapped in the cockpit and lost consciousness during the impact. The aircraft subsequently sank, with the pilot still on board.
Findings
- The right engine failure occurred during the transition from climb to cruise power.
- The aircraft experienced a continuous loss of altitude and increasing pitch attitude during the single-engine approach.
- The stall warning became continuous shortly before the water impact.
- The loss of the aircraft's left front door and the shattering of the windscreen were primary factors in the rapid flooding of the cabin.