What happened
On June 2, 2000, a Cessna 401, bearing registration HI-696CT, was involved in an accident during an instructional flight departing from La Romana International Airport in the Dominican Republic. The flight, operated by Air Century, was in its initial departure phase from runway 12. At approximately 12:40 Atlantic standard time, the pilot performed a simulation of a left engine failure. During this maneuver, the crew lost control of the aircraft, which subsequently crashed approximately 350 meters from the runway. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft. The pilot sustained fatal injuries, while the second pilot suffered serious injuries.
At the time of the incident, weather conditions were within visual meteorological limits, and no flight plan had been submitted for the mission. The flight was categorized by civil aviation authorities as an instructional flight.
Findings
Post-accident investigations into the engines and the airframe revealed no mechanical anomalies or technical malfunctions. The primary factor in the loss of control was the pilot's simulation of an engine failure during the takeoff phase.