What happened
On January 13, 1984, at approximately 14:42, a scheduled passenger service operated by Pilgrim Airline, identified as Flight 35, departed from runway 04L at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Jamaica, New York. The aircraft, a turboprop, was bound for Ottawa, Canada, carrying 21 passengers and a crew of three.
During the initial climb phase, immediately after the captain retracted the landing gear, the left engine propeller entered an autofeather state. As the pilot attempted to manage the emergency by reducing power to the left engine, the right engine simultaneously suffered a loss of power. This dual engine failure caused the aircraft to lose altitude and begin a descent.
The first officer maintained control of the aircraft's direction while the captain attempted to extend the landing gear. However, the aircraft impacted the runway surface before the gear could fully deploy. The plane slid approximately 1,200 feet along the runway, eventually coming to a halt near the intersection of taxiway G and runway 04L. While no fire occurred after the impact, the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The incident resulted in 14 minor injuries for passengers and the captain, as well as one spinal fracture sustained by the flight attendant.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several contributing factors related to engine management and maintenance oversight. The crew failed to activate engine anti-ice systems during their arrival at JFK. Furthermore, the decision to engage engine anti-ice during the takeoff from JFK, combined with an inadequate pre-flight inspection by the captain, directly resulted in the simultaneous power loss of both engines.