What happened
On the morning of the incident, a single-engine aircraft departed from Los Roques Airport at 07:34 local time. The flight was a scheduled service bound for Porlamar, carrying a total of 13 people, including two pilots and 11 passengers.
While the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 11,500 feet at approximately 08:04 local time, the engine experienced an explosion and subsequent vibration. In response to the mechanical failure, the crew performed an engine shutdown, declared an emergency, and began a descent to a lower altitude.
Ten minutes after the initial failure, while flying with flaps set to 30 degrees, the crew executed a ditching maneuver at low speed. The aircraft landed in the water approximately 7.4 km north of La Tortuga Island. Although the aircraft sustained damage beyond repair, all 13 occupants were successfully rescued from the scene.
Findings
- The primary cause of the emergency was an engine explosion during the cruise phase of flight.