N78336

On May 31, 2002 at 01:15 PM, N78336 experienced a crash involving Rockwell Aero Commander 500, operated by Bevins Air Service, with the event recorded near Marigot-Douglas-Charles (ex Melville Hall) All Dominica.

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

2 people were known to be on board, 2 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 1, passenger fatalities: 1, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. On May 31, 2002, about 1315 Atlantic standard time, an Aero Commander 500-B, N78336, registered to Bevins Air Service Inc., operating as a 14 CFR Part 135 air-taxi passenger/cargo flight ditched into the Atlantic Ocean, near Roseau, Dominica. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed. The airplane has not been located and is presumed to be destroyed. The commercial pilot has not been located and is presumed to be fatally injured. The deceased passenger was recovered from the Atlantic Ocean on June 4, 2002. The flight originated from Melville Hall Airport, Roseau, Dominica, at 1240. According to Organization of East Caribbean States (OECS) the pilot informed Guadeloupe Air Traffic Control that the airplane was experiencing engine problems and that he was returning to Dominica. The airplane was last observed on radar about six miles north of Dominica.

Aircraft reference details include registration N78336, MSN 500-1187-94, year of manufacture 1962.