LIAT Flight 319 was a scheduled Caribbean inter-island flight from Hewanorra International Airport in Saint Lucia to E. T. Joshua Airport in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. On 3 August 1986, the 19-seater de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Series 310 Twin Otter airliner serving the flight, which was operated by Leeward Islands Air Transport (LIAT), disappeared, but is believed to have crashed into the Caribbean Sea, resulting in the deaths of its eleven passengers and two aircrew.
 A LIAT Series 300 Twin Otter similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 August 1986 |
| Summary | Crashed into the sea in poor weather |
| Site | Caribbean Sea, 13°08′14″N 61°13′08″W / 13.137335°N 61.218879°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Series 310 Twin Otter |
| Operator | LIAT |
| Registration | V2-LCJ |
| Flight origin | Hewanorra International Airport |
| Destination | E. T. Joshua Airport |
| Passengers | 11 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 13 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Aircraft
editThe aircraft involved in the accident was a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 310, with manufacturer serial number 785, registered as V2-LCJ. This airliner first flew in 1982. The aircraft was powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27.[1] It was capable of accommodating 19 passengers.[2]
Accident
editOn Sunday 4 August 1986, LIAT Flight 319 departed from Hewanorra International Airport in St. Lucia, en route to the E. T. Joshua Airport (then called the Arnos Vale airport) in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. On attempting to land at its destination the plane encountered difficulties due to a rainstorm. Two initial attempts were made to land the plane. The plane is believed to have crashed into the sea and sunk in water some 6,000 feet (1,800 m) deep during its third landing attempt.[3]
Neither the bodies of the passengers and crew, nor the wreckage were discovered. The government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines declared everyone on board perished, after recovery attempts failed to locate any bodies six days after the crash.[3]
Victims
editSeven of the passengers aboard Flight 319 were Vincentian nationals. There were also two Americans, two Italians, one Canadian and one Antiguan among the flight's passengers and crew.[3] Among the victims of the accident was former deputy prime minister and current opposition leader Hudson Tannis.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 26 March 2014.
- ^ "Plane with 13 passengers disappears near St. Vincent". Associated Press. 4 August 1986.
- ^ a b c "LIAT flight declared lost by government". Associated Press. 8 August 1986.
- ^ "Donna Young remembered at Memorial Mass - Searchlight". www.searchlight.vc. 11 August 2006.