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2 fatalities

Fresh Air Cargo Aircraft Crash at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (N153JR)

San Juan-Luis Muñoz Marín (Isla Verde), Puerto RicoTakeoff (climb)

On March 15, 2012, a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan (registration N153JR) operated by Fresh Air was involved in an aviation accident near San Juan-Luis Muñoz Marín (Isla Verde), Puerto Rico during takeoff. 2 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The flight crew's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after shutting down the right engine due to an in-flight fire in one of the right augmentors. The failure to maintain airspeed resulted in either an aerodynamic stall or a loss of directional control. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary report: the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Aircraft Accident ReportsUpdated 2026-09-03Data APIEditorial standards

A Fresh Air cargo aircraft crashed into a lagoon near SJU after an in-flight fire. Both pilots died. The probable cause was failure to maintain airspeed after shutting down the right engine.

Accident Overview and Immediate Sequence of Events On the day of the accident, a cargo aircraft operated by Fresh Air, Inc. departed from runway 10 at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, bound for Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1251 in visual meteorological conditions, with a visual flight rules flight plan filed. Shortly after takeoff, the first officer declared an emergency. The captain then requested a left turn back to SJU and asked local air traffic controllers if they could see smoke from the aircraft. Two tower controllers later stated in post-accident interviews that they did not observe more smoke than usual. The controllers cleared the flight to land on runway 28. As the aircraft began to align with the runway, it crashed into Laguna La Torrecilla, a lagoon located about 1 mile east of the departure end of runway 10. Both pilots were killed, and the aircraft was destroyed by impact forces.

Probable cause

The flight crew's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after shutting down the right engine due to an in-flight fire in one of the right augmentors. The failure to maintain airspeed resulted in either an aerodynamic stall or a loss of directional control.
Loss of control in flight

Related events

Same operator

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 15 Mar 2012 Convair CV-440 Metropolitan accident near San Juan-Luis Muñoz Marín (Isla Verde), Puerto Rico?

A Fresh Air cargo aircraft crashed into a lagoon near SJU after an in-flight fire. Both pilots died. The probable cause was failure to maintain airspeed after shutting down the right engine.

Were there any fatalities in the 15 Mar 2012 Convair CV-440 Metropolitan accident?

The accident was fatal, resulting in 2 fatalities.

What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 15 Mar 2012 involved a Convair CV-440 Metropolitan, registration N153JR, operated by Fresh Air, at San Juan-Luis Muñoz Marín (Isla Verde), Puerto Rico.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The flight crew's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after shutting down the right engine due to an in-flight fire in one of the right augmentors. The failure to maintain airspeed resulted in either an aerodynamic stall or a loss of directional control.

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