AVIATION/ DUTCH REPORT ON DIVI DIVI FL16 CRASH

The Dutch Onderzoeksraad (Dutch Safety Board DSB) have released their Final Report into the crash of DIVI DIVI Flight 16 near Bonaire, in the Caribbean, on October 22, 2009. Flight 16 was on BN 2A Islander Service fom Curacao to Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, with 9 passengers and 1 Pilot onboard. The Pilot ditched the aircraft just before the coast of Bonaire, when the he realized he could not reach the Airpor, following the failure of the right hand engine. The aircraft impacted the water with considerable force at around 11:15am, local time, causing the Pilot to strike the windscreen with his head and being knocked unconscious. The passengers were unable to open his seat belt, and they have to evacuate the sinking aircraft before rescuing the Pilot. They were not injured, however the Pilot died in the crash. Rescue boats arrived on the scene shortly after the ditching, and pulled all 9 passengers from the waters. The aircraft was salvaged from the waters on December 18, 2009, with the Pilot's body still strapped in his seat.

In their Final Report, the DBS concluded:
1. After 1 of the 2 engines failed, the flight continued to Bonaire. By not returning to the nearby situated departure Airport, the safest flight operation was not chosen. Continuing to fly after engine failure was contrary to the general principle for twin-engine aircraft as set down in the CARNA, that is, to land at the nearest suitable Airport.
2. The aircraft could not maintain horizontal flight when it continued with the flight and an emergency landing at sea became unavoidable. The aircraft departed with an overload of 9% when compared to the maximum structural take-off weight of 6600 lb. The Pilot who was himself responsible (self-dispatch and release) for the loading of the aircraft was aware of the overloading or could have been aware of this.
3. The Pilot did not act as could be expected when executing the flight and preparing for the emergency landing. The landing was executed with flaps up and, therefore, the aircraft had a higher landing speed. The Pilot ensured insufficiently that the passengers had understood the safety instructions after boarding. The Pilot undertook insufficient attempts to inform passengers about the approaching emergency landing at sea after the engine failure and, therefore, they could not prepare themselves sufficiently.
The DSB Report, in Dutch, also notes a number of contributing factors in the crash, some of which are blamed on the carrier. The full Report, including a detailed report on events as they unfolded, can be found on the DSB website.
(SK COMMENT: The DSB Report blames the Pilot for many of the reasons why Flight 16 crashed. Yet, in the days immediately following the accident, the Pilot was hailed as hero by both the passengers onboard and the carrier. The passengers reported that prior to the aircraft going down, the 32 year old looked back to confirm that they all had their life vests on. He then gave them the thumbs up, before bringing the aircraft down into the water. At the time of the accident, Divi Divi said: "He's a hero. All the passengers survived and he is the only one missing. If he wasn't a good Pilot, he couldn't have ditched it so everyone could be saved. Other Pilots wouldn't have known what to do but he landed the aircraft so that everyone could get out safely." Its not unusual for Accident Reports to blame the Pilots, even when others call them heroes).