C I V I L A E R O N A U T I C S B O A R D
ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT
PAN AMERICAN AIRWAYS, LATIN AMERICAN DIVISION,
FORT de FRANCE, MARTINIQUE,
AUGUST 3, 1945
Flight 216, a Sikorsky S-43 of Pan American Airways, Latin American Division, en route from Port of Spain, Trinidad, B.W.I., to San Juan, Puerto Rico, crashed while landing at Fort de France, Martinique at approximately 1011 EWT [1]/ on August 3, 1945. Four passengers were drowned, six passengers and the crew of four survived. The amphibian aircraft sank in about 120 feet of water and was not salvaged.
Known as the northbound Island Run, Flight 216 departed the airport at Port of Spain on August 3, 1945, at 0804 with Fort de France the first scheduled stop. Preparations for the flight included briefing of the pilot on weather conditions to be expected, forecasts for which indicated equally weather lingering over most of the route in the rear of a receding tropical storm. This storm was moving west-northwestward, and at the time its center was located about 500 miles ⟨WNW⟩ of Martinique. Weather reports showed improvement as far north as Guadeloupe with conditions fluctuating around safe minimums in the Guadaloupe area and above minimums southward to Trinidad. FLight 216 was dispatched on an instrument clearance at an altitude of 10,000 feet with St. Luica as the alternate for Fort de France.
About 100 miles north of Trinidad the pilot changed his cruising altitude from 10,000 feet to 8,000 feet to fly between cloud layers. Within 50 miles of Fort de France turbulent weather was encountered, and the captain
- ↑ All time referred to herein are Eastern War and based on the 24-hour clock.
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