Vineyard Haven - Boston

On September 26, 2008 at 08:03 PM, Vineyard Haven - Boston experienced a crash involving Cessna 402, operated by Cape Air, with the event recorded near Vineyard Haven Massachusetts.

The flight was categorized as positioning and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

1 people were known to be on board, 1 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: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The pilot of the multi engine airplane, operated by a regional airline, was conducting a positioning flight in night instrument meteorological conditions. After takeoff, the airplane made a slight left turn before making a right turn that continued until radar contact was lost. The airplane reached a maximum altitude of 700 feet before impacting terrain about 3 miles northwest of the departure airport. Post accident examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact failures. The weather reported at the airport, about the time of the accident, included a visibility of 5 statute miles in light rain and mist and an overcast ceiling at 400 feet. Analysis of the radar and weather data indicated that, with the flight accelerating and turning just after having entered clouds, the pilot likely experienced spatial disorientation.

Aircraft reference details include registration N770CA, MSN 402C-0432, year of manufacture 1981.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 41.4543°, -70.6038°.