INVESTIGATION AND DISCUSSION
Investigation revealed that a few days prior to this accident the right engine of the subject Sikorsky S-43 failed in flight because of a cracked rocker box and the pilot had flown the plane for a period of 35 minutes solely on the left engine. During 15 minutes of this 35-minute emergency, the left engine was operated at a manifold pressure of 38 inches as compared with the normal pressure of 2612 inches, and cylinder head temperatures reached approximately 450° F. After prolonged operation of the left engine in excess of rated horsepower, it would have been reasonable to assume that considerable attention would be given to the engine before returning the aircraft to regularly scheduled runs. However, after a routine inspection, a new cylinder was installed on the right engine and the plane was returned to scheduled operations. The plane was not salvaged at Fort de France due to the deep water in which it sank and no check could be made to determine the condition of the engines. Nevertheless, the above incident is significant as it may account for the pilot's unwillingness to pursue an alternate course of action which would have been predicated upon continued operations of an engine the reliability of which he was in doubt.
Pan American weather forecasts prior to departure of Flight 216 indicated ceilings of 1,000 to 2,000 feet along the route from Trinidad to Puerto Rico, and the following conditions were forecast for the Guadaloupe area: ceiling 1,000 feet, visibility 3 miles, heavy showers and winds about 25 knots. The Weather Bureau also issued a forecast Miami to Trinidad covering the period of the flight which indicated the worst weather to be in the Puerto Rico area and much better weather from about 50 miles south of Puerto Rico to Trinidad. A squall, more severe than anticipated by either of the forecasts, developed in the Martinique area as the flight approached and was
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