Background
ALM Flight 980 was operating from New York-JFK International Airport to Juliana Airport, St. Maarten, under a lease agreement using an ONA aircraft and flight crew, and an ALM cabin crew. The flight established radio contact with Juliana Tower and received clearance for an Automatic Direction Finding (ADF) approach to runway 09. The weather was reported as scattered clouds at 800 feet, estimated ceiling 1,000 feet broken, 5,000 feet overcast, and visibility 2 to 3 miles.
Approach and Circling Attempts
The crew sighted the runway too late to land successfully on this approach and attempted two left-turn, visual circling approaches. The first circling approach was abandoned because of poor alignment with the runway. On the second approach, the captain was unable to maintain the proper descent profile without reducing power and increasing the sink rate beyond acceptable limits. The captain executed a missed approach, made a low-altitude return to the St. Maarten Radio Beacon, and was given clearance to St. Thomas at an assigned altitude of 4,000 feet.
Fuel Situation and Decision to Ditch
During the climb, the fuel gauges were reported to have been acting erratically but momentarily stabilized at 850 pounds of fuel remaining. A higher altitude was requested, and a course adjustment was made for St. Croix, which was closer. Although the captain doubted the accuracy of the fuel gauge reading, he decided to descend to establish visual contact with the water. He advised the purser that they were low on fuel and to prepare the cabin for ditching. The purser made this announcement, and no other warning was given to the passengers prior to impact.
Rescue
The ditching site was confirmed on radar with the assistance of a PanAm flight that diverted for that purpose. Other fixed-wing aircraft orbited the area until US Coast Guard, Navy, and Marine Corps helicopters began picking up survivors. Weather in the area during the rescue operation was estimated to be 400 to 500 feet overcast and visibility as low as three-eighths of a mile in rain. The aircraft sank in water more than 5,000 feet deep and was not recovered.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the probable cause of this accident was fuel exhaustion resulting from continued, unsuccessful attempts to land at St. Maarten until insufficient fuel remained to reach an alternate airport. A contributing factor was the reduced visibility in the approach zone because of rain showers, a condition not reported to the flight. The Board also found that the probability of survival would have been increased substantially if there had been better crew coordination prior to and during the ditching.