Nature Air Flight 9916

Nature Air Flight 9916
A Nature Air Cessna Caravan 208, similar to the crashed aircraft
Accident
Date 31 December 2017 (2017-12-31)
Summary Impacted terrain after take-off
Site 15 km (10 mi) east of Playa Sámara in the Nandayure canton, Punta Islita, Costa Rica
Aircraft
Aircraft type Cessna 208 Caravan
Operator Nature Air
IATA flight No. 5C9916
ICAO flight No. NRR9916
Call sign NATUREAIR 9916
Registration TI-BEI
Flight origin Punta Islita Airport, Punta Islita, Costa Rica
Destination Juan Santamaría International Airport, San José, Costa Rica
Occupants 12
Passengers 10
Crew 2
Fatalities 12 (all)
Survivors 0

Nature Air Flight 9916 [1] was a 40-minute chartered domestic passenger flight from Punta Islita Airport in Nandayure, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica, to Costa Rica's capital San José that crashed on 31 December 2017 shortly after takeoff killing all 12 people onboard. The flight was operated by Costa Rican airline Nature Air using a Cessna 208 Caravan with 10 passengers, mostly tourists, and 2 crew members onboard. The plane crashed into mountainous terrain near the Punta Islita Airport.[2]

All onboard were killed on impact. An inquiry into the crash was opened by the Costa Rican Government.[3][4][5]

Flight

The chartered passenger flight booked through Backroads Travel Company[6] took off from the airport at Punta Islita, a renowned resort town in Costa Rica, at 12:10 p.m local time. It was carrying 10 tourists, including 2 American families and 2 local crew members. The flight was heading to Costa Rica's capital San José. The aircraft had arrived late in Punta Islita due to inclement weather conditions. It was forced to land in Tambor. [7]

Minutes later, the aircraft swayed to the left. It then rolled, the wing clipped trees, and the plane impacted terrain near the airport, exploded and burst into flames.[8] The aircraft could not be contacted and was declared as missing. Approximately at 12:30 p.m, emergency services near the airport received reports that the aircraft had crashed into the woods. Emergency service sent 20 vehicles, including ambulances and 45 firefighters. Tourists and locals who saw the crash also rushed to the crash site and assisted the rescue operation.[9]

Photos published from Costa Rica's Ministry of Public Security revealed that the aircraft was pulverized on impact.[10] The fire chief of Nandayure, Hector Chavéz, stated that the scene was a "total destruction". It crashed in an inverted condition with no survivors. By 07:00 p.m local time, rescuers had recovered all the victims of the flight.[9]

Passengers and crews

The victims were two families of American tourists, an American tour guide and two Costa Rican crew. Among the dead was the pilot, Captain Juan Manuel Retana, the cousin of Costa Rica's former president Laura Chinchilla.[9] He had accrued a total of 15,000 flying hours. Before he joined Nature Air, he worked at Costa Rica's regional airline SANSA for 14 years. The other crew member was identified by the Costa Rican media as Emma Ramos. [11][12]

Investigation

The Costa Rican Government opened an investigation into the cause of the crash on 1 January 2018. The investigation was conducted by Costa Rica DGAC. The United States National Transportation Safety Board was expected to assist the Costa Rican authorities in the investigation, as most of the passengers were of American origin.[13][6][14]

In the initial stage of the investigation, investigators cited mechanical failure, human factors, and adverse weather condition as the cause of the crash. [9] Multiple reports gathered from eyewitnesses revealed that the weather conditions in Punta Islita were inclement. Gusts of 20 knots (37 kph or 23 mph) were reported.[15] Another witness stated that the aircraft flew too low. Enio Cubillo, head of the Costa Rican DGAC, stated that the investigation of Flight 9916 would take months.[16].

On 8 January 2018, Costa Rica's Organismo de Investigación Judicial (Judicial Investigation Organisation) raided the offices of Nature Air in Tobías Bolaños International Airport in Pavas and the Juan Santamaria International Airport in San José. They also raided the offices of the Costa Rica Dirección General de Aviación Civil in La Uruca as part of the investigation of the crash.[17] At least 30 agents participated in the operation with the objective to obtain files on the pilots and on the Cessna 208 Caravan as well as the identities of those in charge of the maintenance and whoever authorized the flight.[18]

Aftermath

The crash highlighted the danger of privately chartered tourist passenger flights, causing concern among Costa Ricans who work in the tourism industry.[19] In the immediate aftermath of the crash, Fox News warned their readers about the danger of flying on privately chartered flights, indicating that they are not properly regulated.[19] The former head of the National Transportation Safety Board also warned Americans not to fly on privately chartered flights in Costa Rica. Isabel Vargas, the president of the Costa Rican National Chamber of Tourism disputed the claims, as did the Costa Rican director of Civil Aviation, Ennio Cubillo, who called the claims that chartered flights are not subject to proper safety oversight irresponsible reporting.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Nature Air Flight 9916". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  2. ↑ Villanueva, Djenane; Shoichet, Catharine E. (1 January 2018). "10 Americans among 12 dead in Costa Rica plane crash". CNN. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  3. ↑ "Small Plane Crashes in Costa Rica". Time.
  4. ↑ "Costa Rica plane crash kills 12, including 10 visitors". Fox News. 31 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "At least 12 die in plane crash in Costa Rica - government department". Reuters. 31 December 2017.
  6. 1 2 "US to Aid in Investigation of Costa Rica Plane Crash That Killed New York Family". NBC New York. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  7. ↑ "Fuertes vientos se reportaron antes de caída de avioneta que dejó 12 muertos". La Naciõn. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "Winds seen as factor in Costa Rica plane crash that killed 12". Tico Times. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "What is Known About the Plane Crash in Nandayure". Voz De Guanacaste. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  10. ↑ "Nature Air Caravan crashes in Costa Rica". Flight Gloval. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  11. ↑ News, A. B. C. (1 January 2018). "2 American families killed in Costa Rica plane crash". ABC News.
  12. ↑ Haag, Matthew. "New York Family of 5 Among 10 Americans Killed in Costa Rica Plane Crash". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  13. ↑ "US to aid in investigation of Costa Rica plane crash". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  14. ↑ "US to aid in investigation of Costa Rica plane crash". ABC. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  15. ↑ "Familias de EEUU murieron en caída de avión en Costa Rica". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  16. ↑ Andres Pretel, Enriques. "Costa Rica plane crash probe could take months: aviation chief". Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  17. ↑ "OIJ Raids Offices of Nature Air and Civil Aviation". QCosta Rica. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  18. ↑ "Costa Rican authorities raid Nature Air offices in Dec.31 crash probe". Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  19. 1 2 3 "Caída de avión de Nature Air impacta turismo desde EE. UU". La Naciõn. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
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