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 HI-177, the aircraft involved in the accident | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | February 15, 1970 (1970-02-15) |
| Summary | Dual-engine failure due to fuel contamination |
| Site | Caribbean Sea, near Las Américas International Airport,Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 18°23′17″N69°40′44″W / 18.388086°N 69.678913°W /18.388086; -69.678913 |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 |
| Operator | Dominicana de Aviación |
| Call sign | DOMINICANA 603 |
| Registration | HI-177 |
| Flight origin | Las Américas International Airport,Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| Destination | Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport,San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Occupants | 102 |
| Passengers | 97 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 102 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On February 15, 1970, a Dominicana de AviaciónMcDonnell Douglas DC-9 operating asDominicana de Aviación Flight 603 enroute fromSanto Domingo,Dominican Republic toSan Juan,Puerto Rico crashed into theCaribbean Sea shortly after takeoff. The crash killed all 97 passengers and 5 crew on board, making it the deadliest aviation disaster to occur within the Dominican Republic until the crash ofBirgenair Flight 301 in 1996, in the Caribbean Sea, leaving 189 dead.[1]
The aircraft, aMcDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 registered as HI-177 (with serial number 47500 and line number 546), was manufactured byMcDonnell Douglas in 1969. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-7 turbofan engines.[1] It had been in service with Dominicana for less than a month (with only 354 flying hours) when it crashed.[2][3]
The airliner was operating an international flight fromLas Américas International Airport near Santo Domingo, to San Juan'sLuis Muñoz Marín International Airport. The flighttook off at about 6:30 PM. Two minutes after departure, one of the engines lost thrust. The crew declared an emergency, telling air traffic controllers that the right engine hadflamed out, and requested to immediately return to the airport. While the crew were preparing to turn back toward the airport, the left engine also flamed out. The aircraft descended until it hit the sea about two miles south of the airport. There were no survivors among the 97 passengers and five crew members on board.[1][3][4]
There were initially concerns of a terrorist attack as the family ofAntonio Imbert Barrera was on board. However, the investigation concluded that the cause of the crash was the sequential failure of both engines caused by fuel contamination due to water ingress.[3] Neither the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) or flight data recorder (FDR) was ever found.[5]
Several famous passengers were among the dead, including:
Immediately after the Santo Domingo crash, Dominicana suspended all operations. Four of the airline'smechanics were reportedly arrested as well.[2] In addition, the United StatesFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) banned Dominicana aircraft from operating to the United States. The ban was lifted later in the year after Dominicana leased a replacement DC-9 aircraft, to be flown by crews from the Spanish airlineIberia.[2][7]
Dominicana eventually resumed full services, including to the United States. The airline flew until 1995 when the government ofJoaquín Balaguer forced it to suspend services indefinitely, officially ceasing all operations in 1999.[8]