# NTSB ERA26LA137: Pilatus Britten-Norman BN-2B-27, N865VL, Isla de Culebra, PR, February 22, 2026 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report - Date: February 22, 2026, 09:15, time zone not recorded - Place: Isla de Culebra, PR - Location: 18.3130° N, 65.3039° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at BENJAMIN RIVERA NORIEGA (CPX), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - NTSB coordinates: 18, 65 (estimated), outside the stated state - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=18.3130&lon=-65.3039&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Taxi](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/250) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Taxi-from runway: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 9 uninjured - Status: Investigation ongoing - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA - NTSB case key (mKey): 202605 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA26LA137 - NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/202605/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26LA137 ## Preliminary report On February 22, 2026, at 0915 Atlantic standard time, a Pilatus Brittan-Norman Limited, BN-2B-27 Islander, N865VL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Benjamin Rivera Noriega Airport (CPX), Isla de Culebra, Puerto Rico. The airline transport pilot and eight passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 air taxi flight. According to the operator, the flight departed from Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport (RVR), Ceiba, Puerto Rico, and was destined for CPX. Following an uneventful landing at CPX, the airplane exited the runway and entered the taxiway. The pilot reported that he was taxiing toward the terminal and performed a second right turn when the airplane experienced a loss of right braking action. The airplane then veered to the left and departed the paved surface of the taxiway onto the adjacent grass area, where it traversed over a drain overflow. The pilot regained control of the airplane and continued to the terminal where the passengers deplaned. The pilot assessed that the airplane sustained minor damage and subsequently flew the airplane to the operator’s maintenance facility for further inspection. During a follow up inspection, maintenance personnel observed that the left wing in the main landing gear well was buckled. Additionally, the right brake caliper seal was leaking. The airplane was retained for further examination. ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Taxi-from runway: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330) (defining event); cases with it: [Pilatus Britten-Norman BN-2B-27, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md?model=7080227), [All aircraft, 994 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md) - [Taxi-from runway: Loss of control on ground](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230); cases with it: [Pilatus Britten-Norman BN-2B-27, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md?model=7080227), [All aircraft, 4,585 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/230/sequence.md) ## Aircraft - Registration: [N865VL](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N865VL), registered now, S/N 2125, built 1987 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: PILATUS BRITTEN-NORMAN LIMITED BN-2B-27 - Registry model: [Pilatus Britten-Norman BN-2B-27](https://openairdocs.org/model/pilatus-britten-norman-bn-2b-27) (registry code 7080227) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O-540-E4C5](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-540-e4c5) (registry code 42391, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 2125 - Year built: 1987 - Airframe hours: 9180 - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Business, Part 135 - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility; Standard, Transport - Last inspection: AAIP, January 21, 2026, 75 hours before - Departed: RVR, Ceiba, PR - Destination: Same as departure - Flight plan: Company VFR - Airport: CPX, Benjamin Rivera Noriega, runway 13, 2,596 × 60 ft, asphalt - Equipment: ADS-B ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 120° at 11 knots, gusting 18 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 70 °F - Altimeter: 29.99 inHg - Observed at: TIST, 18 nm away - METAR: METAR TIST 221953Z 12011G18KT 10SM FEW029 29/21 A2999 ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20260222005659A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260222005659A), Feb 22, 2026: Pilatus Britten-Norman Limited BN-2B-27, Culebra, PR, Substantial damage. On February 22, 2026, [privacy data omitted], a BN-2B had a collision with the airport drainage system while taxiing after landing. The aircraft had a brake… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.