Single-Engine Aircraft Ditches in Water After Engine Failure (YV1183)

Incident Overview and Flight Details A single-engine aircraft departed Los Roques Airport at 0734 local time on a scheduled service to Porlamar. The aircraft was carrying 11 passengers and two pilots. During the flight, the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 11,500 feet when the engine failed. The crew shut down the engine, declared an emergency, and reduced the aircraft's altitude. Approximately ten minutes later, the crew ditched the aircraft at low speed in a 30-degree flaps down configuration about 7.4 kilometers north of La Tortuga Island. All 13 occupants were quickly rescued, and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. ## Probable Cause The official investigation determined that the probable cause of the accident was engine failure following the disintegration of several blades on the compressor disk. Technical analysis was unable to determine the exact cause of this disintegration.