What happened
On November 3, 2008, at approximately 4:20 P.M., a LET 410-UVP operated by CARIBINTAIR was performing a commercial flight from Port-au-Prince to Santo Domingo. While approximately six miles west of the Dr. Joaquín Balaguer International Airport, the aircraft's right engine lost power. The pilot attempted to feather the propeller, but shortly thereafter, the left engine also failed at an altitude of 1,000 feet.
The crew attempted an emergency landing on runway 19. However, the aircraft impacted the terrain approximately 200 feet before the runway threshold with a 30-degree deviation from the runway centerline. Because the landing gear had not completed its extension cycle, the right main gear collapsed upon impact, causing the aircraft to slide 800 feet along the runway surface. The two crew members on board were uninjured, and the aircraft sustained damage to the right main gear hydraulic brake system.
The investigation
The CIAA investigation established that the aircraft lacked sufficient fuel to complete the intended flight. The investigation revealed that because the operator lacked credit to purchase fuel in Port-au-Prince, the fuel for the flight was improperly obtained by transferring it from another aircraft.
Laboratory analysis of the fuel recovered from the aircraft by the Dominican Air Force identified contamination characterized by low conductivity, resulting from the fuel being stored for an extended period under inappropriate conditions. Additionally, the investigation noted a lack of regulatory oversight, as there were no records of inspections performed by the IDAC to verify the operator's compliance with established aviation laws.