- Date
- June 2, 1995, 11:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Vieques, PR
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N41528Piper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 19, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950602041769A
- Case key
- 37777
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Undetermined.
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
The airplane was observed to depart and fly at a low altitude until it disappeared. The airplane was located on the bottom of the sea about one month later and was not recovered. The pilot was not located.
Factual narrative
On June 2, 1995, about 1145 Atlantic standard time, N41528, a Piper PA-32-260 operated by Corporate Charter Services Inc., was reported lost near Vieques, Puerto Rico, while on a 14 CFR Part 135 nonscheduled, domestic cargo flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was not recovered and was loacated on the bottom of the sea substantially damaged on July 7, 1995. Both main landing gear tires were found floating on the day of the accident. The pilot has not been found and is presumed to be fatally injured. The flight originated about 5 minutes earlier.
A witness stated that he helped the pilot load UPS cargo and observed the airplane take off for a planned flight to the island of Culebra. He stated he watched the airplane takeoff from runway 27, turn to the north and fly at a low altitude until the airplane disappeared from his view.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N41528
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 7400033
- Airframe hours
- 4,506
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Corporate Charter Service Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 30, 1995 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- VQS · PR
- Destination
- CPX · Culebra, PR
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
- 21
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 300 total · 45 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NRR, 16 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.