Prinair Flight 191
| Industry | Airline |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | San Juan , Puerto Rico |
| Products | Air transportation services |
Prinair Flight 191 was a service operated by Prinair (Puerto Rico International Airlines) traveling from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Mercedita Airport in Ponce, Puerto Rico. On the night of June 24, 1972, around 11:15 pm, the plane crashed while attempting to land at Mercedita Airport. The accident resulted in five fatalities and left fifteen individuals injured.
Aircraft and crew
The aircraft involved was a de Havilland DH.114 Heron 2B, bearing the registration N554PR, carrying eighteen passengers and two crew members near full capacity. The captain, Donald Price, aged 28, possessed extensive flying experience totaling approximately 8,300 hours, including more than 3,000 hours on this specific model. The first officer, Gary Belejeu, aged 27, had considerably fewer flight hours—around 1,400 in total—with 102 hours logged on the DH-114.
Flight and accident
The journey proceeded without incident until the landing phase. Since Mercedita Airport's control tower was closed late at night, the flight crew was responsible for self-managing their landing clearance. Shortly after touchdown, the pilots elected to execute a go-around maneuver. However, an excessive pitch-up occurred during this attempt, leading to a stall at low altitude and subsequent crash. This tragedy claimed the lives of three passengers along with both crew members; fifteen passengers suffered injuries, seven of which were serious. Adverse weather conditions with heavy fog played a significant role in the crash.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) initially attributed the probable cause to an "unauthorized vehicle on the runway," which allegedly forced the pilot to initiate a go-around after touching down. This maneuver resulted in overrotation at an insufficient airspeed to maintain flight. This conclusion was drawn from eyewitness reports describing lights on the runway and suspicious behavior by a driver of a vehicle belonging to the Puerto Rico Ports Authority parked near the scene shortly after the incident.
Three years later, new evidence prompted the NTSB to reopen the inquiry. It was discovered that the driver in question had exited the airport premises fifteen minutes prior to the crash. The subsequent investigation found no indication of any airport vehicle present on the runway at that time and classified the reason for the go-around as undetermined. Consequently, all references to a vehicle on the runway were removed from the revised report.