- Date
- October 17, 1995, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean (Atlantic Ocean)
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N913WJSIAI-Marchetti SF.260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 11, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19951017047839A
- Case key
- 37932
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
loss of engine power for undetermined reason(s), which result in a ditching at sea.
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 pilot ditched the airplane in the Atlantic Ocean after the engine lost power for undetermined reasons. The pilot was rescued by the United States Coast Guard and transported to a hospital on Great Inagua. The airplane was presumed to have been destroyed.
Factual narrative
On October 17, 1995, about 1530 Atlantic standard time, a Siai Marchetti, N913WJ, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean about 129 miles southeast of Great Exuma, Bahamas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and a VFR flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR part 91 ferry flight to Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. The pilot, the sole occupant, received minor injuries. He was rescued by the United States Coast Guard and transported to Great Inagua, Bahamas. The airplane sank and was not recovered, therefore the airplane is assumed to be destroyed. The flight had originated from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, earlier that same day.
Due to the remote location of the accident no further information is available at this time.
The pilot reported that the engine failed for undetermined reasons. Multiple attempts to obtain a Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB form 6120.1/2, have been met with negative results.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N913WJ
- Reported as
- SIAI-Marchetti SF.260
- Category
- Airplane
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Ralph Cerono
- Departed
- MTPP · Port Au Prince, OF
- Destination
- MYEF · Freeport, OF
- Flight plan
- VFR
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
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SJU
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.