TX1501 Crash Near Saint-Barthélemy: Fatal Loss of Control on Final Approach (F-OGES)

Flight Details and Final Communications The aircraft departed Saint Maarten Airport for Saint-Barthélemy Airport under callsign TX1501, carrying 17 passengers and two pilots. The captain was pilot flying at a cruise level of 1,500 feet. The crew left the Sint Maarten Juliana aerodrome frequency when abeam Fourchue, the circuit entry point located three nautical miles northwest of Saint-Barthélemy. They subsequently announced passing the 'Fourchue' reporting point on the Saint-Barthélemy Information frequency, followed by a report of passing the 'Pain de Sucre' reporting point for a final approach to runway 10. This was their last communication. ## Accident Sequence As the aircraft began its short final before the La Tourmente pass, several witnesses, including the AFIS agent, observed it turn left into a steep bank angle before diving toward the ground. The aircraft crashed near a house and caught fire. All occupants perished, along with one person who was inside the house. ## Probable Cause and Contributing Factors The official investigation determined the accident resulted from the captain's use of the propellers in the reverse beta range to improve track control on short final. A strong thrust asymmetry when exiting the reverse beta range caused loss of yaw control, followed by loss of roll control. The investigation could not exclude three other hypotheses—loss of control during a go-around, loss of control due to a stall, or loss of control due to sudden incapacitation of one pilot—but classified these as quite unlikely. Contributory factors included the captain's lack of recent experience on this airplane type, the difficulty of the approach to runway 10 at Saint-Barthélemy, and time pressure during the flight. The low altitude at which the loss of control occurred was an aggravating factor.