20000708008789A

(-23) On July 8, 2000, around 4:59 ast, a Cessna 402C, N405MN, registered to and operated by m&n aviation inc., as a title 14 CFR part 135 domestic mail contract flight from san juan, p.r. to st. croix, usvi, crash into the ocean about 7 miles se of Vieques, p.r. the flight was in an IFR plan, although the nearest weather was reported VFR. The aircraft was lost into the ocean and the commercial rated pilot was killed in the crash. After departure the aircraft was vectored and cleared to climb 7,000 ft. about 4:53 the pilot requested a lower altitude followed by a request for vectors. A minute later the aircraft is observed by the san juan approach control in a fast descent down to 1900 ft. and the flight is not observed by the radar any longer after 4:55 am. (-19) on July 8, 2000, about 0455 atlantic standard time, a Cessna 402C, N405MN, registered to and operated by m and n aviation, inc., as a title 14 CFR part 135 nonscheduled domestic mail contract flight from san juan, puerto rico, to st. croix, U.S. Virgin islands, crashed into the caribbean sea, near Vieques, puerto rico. Visual meteorological conditions were reported at st. croix, the nearest weather observing site, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The aircraft is presumed to be destroyed and the commercial-rated pilot is presumed to have received fatal injuries. The flight originated from san juan, puerto rico, the same day, about 0425. After departure from san juan, the pilot of N405MN contacted the FAA san juan approach control at 0432:18, was identified on radar by the controller, and told to climb to 7,000 feet. About 1 minute later, the pilot is told to proceed direct to st. croix. About 5 minutes later, the pilot requested ra dar vectors to st. croix from the controller, and was told to fly heading 140 degrees. The flight leveled at 7,000 feet at about 0444. At about 0453, the pilot requested a lower altitude, and was cleared to 2,000 feet. Teh pilot acknowledged the clearance, and no further transmissions were received from the pilot. The aircraft is observed on FAA san juan appraoch control radar to begin descent between 0454:11 and 0454:16. At 0454:39, the aircraft's tranponder reported the flight is at 6,500 feet. A high-pitched tone is heard on the communications radio frequency at this time. At 0454:44, the transponder reports the flight is at 5,500 feet, and at 0454:49, at 4,000 feet. At 0454:54, the transponder reports the flight is at 1,900 feet and at 0455:00 at 1,200 feet. The flight is not observed on radar after this. The flight was last located about 5 miles southeast of Vieques, and about 25 miles northwest of the coast of st. croix. Debris and mail from the a/c was located around the east end of Vieques. The main a/c wreckage and the pilot were not located. The depth of the sea in the area of the crash was reported to be about 6,000 feet.