Nassau - Duncan Town

On August 19, 1988 at 02:30 PM, Nassau - Duncan Town experienced a crash involving Partenavia P.68, operated by MD Air Services, with the event recorded near Duncan Town Ragged Island.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a lake, sea, ocean, river crash site.

6 people were known to be on board, 6 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 2, crew fatalities: 2, passengers on board: 4, passenger fatalities: 4, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The aircraft crashed in the ocean near Duncan Town, Bahamas. The weather according to witnesses was VMC. The flight had been airborne enroute from Nassau for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Witnesses on a nearby boat said the aircraft was flying in a slight left bank when the left wing separated from the aircraft. The aircraft rolled to the left and impacted the water. The wreckage sank where the water was about 50 feet deep. The left outboard wing panel was recovered and examined at the NTSN laboratory. All fractures were found to be from overstress. No preexisting cracks were found and no evidence of fatigue or failure from corrosion. The wing tip had crushing damage and a blue paint transfer as if from a collision. The partly blue vertical stab was damaged from the separated wing sect striking it. The weather reported en route was: broken to overcast with rain showers and isolated thunderstorms. Examination of the later recovered inboard left wing section showed separation of the outboard wing section resulted from overstress. All six occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration N39272, MSN 283, year of manufacture 1983.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 22.1966°, -75.7259°.