Cayenne – Pointe-à-Pitre – Port-au-Prince

The twin engine aircraft was completing an on-demand charter flight from Cayenne, French Guyana, to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with an intermediate stop in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on behalf of the French Government. On board were two pilots, two French policemen and 18 citizen from Haiti. The goal of the flight was to repatriate illegal Haitian immigrants in their country. Following an uneventful flight from Pointe-à-Pitre, the crew was cleared to descend to 4,000 feet for an approach to Port-au-Prince Airport runway 28. In limited visibility due to the night, the crew failed to realize he was not following the correct heading for the airport when the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located in the La Selle Mountain Range, about 40 km southeast of Port-au-Prince Airport. The wreckage was found at an altitude of 1,533 metres and all 20 occupants were killed.

Flight / Schedule

Cayenne – Pointe-à-Pitre – Port-au-Prince

Registration

F-OHRK

MSN

UE-119

Year of Manufacture

1994

Date

December 7, 1995 at 05:54 PM

Type

CRASH

Flight Type

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Flight Phase

Flight

Crash Site

Mountains

Crash Location

Mt La Selle West

Region

Central America • Haiti

Coordinates

18.3596°, -71.9793°

Crash Cause

Human factor

Narrative Report

On December 7, 1995 at 05:54 PM, Cayenne – Pointe-à-Pitre – Port-au-Prince experienced a crash involving Beechcraft 1900D, operated by Air Saint-Martin, with the event recorded near Mt La Selle West.

The flight was categorized as charter/taxi (non scheduled revenue flight) and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

20 people were known to be on board, 20 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: 18, passenger fatalities: 18, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The twin engine aircraft was completing an on-demand charter flight from Cayenne, French Guyana, to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with an intermediate stop in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on behalf of the French Government. On board were two pilots, two French policemen and 18 citizen from Haiti. The goal of the flight was to repatriate illegal Haitian immigrants in their country. Following an uneventful flight from Pointe-à-Pitre, the crew was cleared to descend to 4,000 feet for an approach to Port-au-Prince Airport runway 28. In limited visibility due to the night, the crew failed to realize he was not following the correct heading for the airport when the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located in the La Selle Mountain Range, about 40 km southeast of Port-au-Prince Airport. The wreckage was found at an altitude of 1,533 metres and all 20 occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration F-OHRK, MSN UE-119, year of manufacture 1994.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 18.3596°, -71.9793°.

Fatalities

Total

20

Crew

2

Passengers

18

Other

0

Crash Summary

The twin engine aircraft was completing an on-demand charter flight from Cayenne, French Guyana, to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with an intermediate stop in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, on behalf of the French Government. On board were two pilots, two French policemen and 18 citizen from Haiti. The goal of the flight was to repatriate illegal Haitian immigrants in their country. Following an uneventful flight from Pointe-à-Pitre, the crew was cleared to descend to 4,000 feet for an approach to Port-au-Prince Airport runway 28. In limited visibility due to the night, the crew failed to realize he was not following the correct heading for the airport when the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located in the La Selle Mountain Range, about 40 km southeast of Port-au-Prince Airport. The wreckage was found at an altitude of 1,533 metres and all 20 occupants were killed.

Cause: Human factor

Occupants & Outcome

Crew On Board

2

Passengers On Board

18

Estimated Survivors

0

Fatality Rate

100.0%

Known people on board: 20

Operational Details

Schedule / Flight

Cayenne – Pointe-à-Pitre – Port-au-Prince

Flight Type

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Flight Phase

Flight

Crash Site

Mountains

Region / Country

Central America • Haiti

Aircraft Details

Registration

F-OHRK

MSN

UE-119

Year of Manufacture

1994