Background
Flight 507 departed Miami, Florida, at 0700 on September 2, 1951, making a routine scheduled stop at Camagüey, Cuba. The flight crew reported no irregularities upon arrival. The flight departed Camagüey at 0900 under visual flight rules, cleared direct to Kingston, Jamaica, with Montego Bay as an alternate. Gross weight and load distribution were within limits.
Sequence of Events
The flight between Camagüey and Kingston was uneventful, with routine radio contacts en route. At 1003, Flight 507 reported its position to Palisadoes Airport Tower, Kingston, as 20 miles north. The flight was subsequently cleared into the traffic pattern for Runway 14, acknowledged, and shortly thereafter reported the field in sight. The tower advised the flight of a local squall between Kingston and the approach end of Runway 14, with heavy rain at the airport, and suggested a low approach.
When the aircraft first came into view of the air traffic controller, it was emerging from the heavy part of the squall, which was over the approach end of Runway 14 and moving northwesterly. The flight requested and received permission to circle the airport to the right. Witnesses near the approach end of Runway 14 observed the aircraft flying southeast, paralleling the runway. At approximately the runway intersection, the aircraft turned right and continued around the airport to a point northwest of the approach end of Runway 14, over Kingston Harbor. There, it was observed to descend into the water about 800 feet short of the runway.
Rescue and Condition
No one was seriously injured. A motor launch from a nearby salvage vessel arrived alongside the wrecked aircraft within minutes and transported the survivors ashore. The wreckage floated briefly before sinking, leaving only a part of the tail group and one wing visible above the water.
Investigation Findings
The investigation determined that the rain squall in the Kingston area was local in nature and that visibility and ceiling at the airport were well above minimums. There was no malfunctioning of the aircraft or any of its components prior to impact.