Flight and Initial Deviation
The aircraft departed from Canouan, a small island in the St Vincent group, bound for Barbados. Shortly after entering Barbados airspace, radar recordings showed the aircraft deviating south of a direct easterly track to Barbados and descending from cruise flight level (FL) 55 to an altitude of 2,300 feet. The aircraft leveled at 2,300 feet and resumed an easterly track for about six minutes before again deviating south and commencing a further descent.
Mayday Communication
Approximately 16 minutes after the initial descent from FL55, the pilots of a commercial aircraft flying from Grenada to Barbados relayed a MAYDAY call from the aircraft (registration G-ILEA) to Barbados Arrivals. The relayed message reported that the pilot "had lost one engine; it appeared he was losing fuel and he doubted that he would be able to make it to Barbados." About three and a half minutes later, the same commercial aircraft relayed another message stating that the pilot intended to ditch.
Final Radar and Search
The final radar return for the aircraft showed it at an altitude of 600 feet about 55 miles on the 259° radial from Barbados Airport. Despite an extensive search and rescue operation, no trace of the aircraft or its two occupants was found. A reconciliation of fuel receipts and flight times indicated that at best the aircraft would have been short of fuel for the flight, and at worst could have run out of fuel.
Official Findings
No trace of the aircraft or its occupants has been discovered, and the lack of any wreckage made it difficult to reach firm conclusions on the cause. The reported pilot statement in the relayed MAYDAY transmission that "it appeared he was losing fuel" points to some problem with the fuel system, but there was no indication of how the pilot came to that judgment. Possible scenarios include a rupture in a fuel tank, a leak from one or more fuel drains (which would be difficult or impossible to detect visually from the cockpit), or loss of a fuel filler cap. However, the relatively low fuel level in the tanks would probably have limited or precluded such a loss, and since both caps are visible from the cockpit, it might be expected that the pilot would have stated the problem explicitly. Alternatively, the pilot's assessment may have been based on a perceived rate of change of fuel contents on the gauges; the phrase "appears to be losing fuel" may indicate uncertainty or a lack of physical evidence of fuel loss.