- Date
- June 20, 1988, 12:52 local (16:52 UTC)
- Place
- Catano, PR
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N90360Smith, Ted Aerostar Aerostar 600
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 19, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880620036339A
- Case key
- 32025
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
As the acft was taxiing for takeoff, witnesses noted the l rear baggage door was unlocked & hanging down. A warning was relayed to the plt via the twr, but by then the acft was airborne & the plt had rprtd a control prblm. Drg lift-off, theacft pitched up sharply & entered an immediate rgt bank of abt 45 deg. As the gear retracted, the bank angle decreased to abt 20 deg. The acft was rprtd to yaw slightly fm side to side & circle to the rgt while climbing to abt 1000'. A witness (in radio ctc) asked the plt abt the problem; the plt replied the controls (ctls) were locked to one side. On advice of otrs, the plt tried to ctl the acft with eng power adjustments, but the acft lost alt to abt 200' AGL. Subsequently, while mnvrg, it struck a tree, then hit a utility pole & crashed. Drg impact the lower fuselage, which housed the flt ctl linkages, was badly dmgd. No preimpact mech prblm was verified concerning the flt ctls, autoplt or trim. A plt, who had previously flown the acft with the baggage door open, said he experienced no adverse ctl prblms.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90360
- Reported as
- Smith, Ted Aerostar Aerostar 600 (AEROSTAR 6)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 60 0212 093
- Airframe hours
- 2,958
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-K1F5, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Executive Air Charter, doing business as Executive Air
- Registered owner
- Juan J. Bermudez
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · May 6, 1988 · 25 hours before
- Departed
- SIG · San Juan, PR
- Destination
- SJU
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 7,391 total · 11 in this make and model · 7,100 as pilot in command · 75 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SJU, 7 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.