What happened
On the morning of 17 November 2017, a Tropic Air Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, registered V3-HGX, was performing a scheduled commercial service from Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport with stops in Dangriga and Placencia before reaching Punta Gorda. The flight began normally, with the pilot reporting no issues during the initial leg to Dangriga or the subsequent landing at Placencia.
At roughly 8:40 a.m. local time, the aircraft taxied toward the west on runway 2ally 25 to perform a turnaround, subsequently lining up for takeoff on runway 07. During the takeoff roll, the pilot rotated the aircraft and lifted the nose wheel before reaching the runway threshold. As the plane climbed to an altitude of approximately 28 feet past the end of the runway, the landing gear struck the upper frame of a passenger door on a vehicle. This vehicle had entered the runway area, bypassing the traffic barriers intended to protect the airfield.
Following the impact, the aircraft's climb profile was disrupted, and the engine ceased functioning shortly after the collision. Recognizing that a return to the airport was impossible, the pilot executed emergency procedures for an engine failure during the initial climb phase. The aircraft was ditched in the sea, approximately 200 to 300 feet from the shoreline near the Placencia airport. All 13 people on board (the pilot, one crew member, and 11 passengers) were successfully evacuated from the fuselage by bystanders and nearby boats. There were no fatalities, and all passengers sustained only minor injuries.
Findings
- The primary cause of the engine failure and subsequent ditching was the impact between the aircraft landing gear and a vehicle that had breached the runway safety perimeter.