Incident Overview
Minutes after departing from St. John on flight 415 bound for Christiansted, both engines of the amphibian aircraft ceased operating almost simultaneously. The flight crew responded by reducing altitude and executing a ditching maneuver. The aircraft came down in heavy sea conditions approximately two miles northeast of Frenchmans Cap, about four miles southeast of Red Hook, along the east coast of St. Thomas Island.
Rescue and Casualties
All seven passengers aboard were rescued from the water. The two pilots did not survive the accident.
Probable Cause
According to the official investigation, the double engine failure resulted from crew error when the fuel selector was positioned between both fuel tanks, preventing adequate fuel flow to the engines.