.jpg) A Douglas DC-3 similar to the accident aircraft | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 12, 1980 |
| Summary | Cause undetermined[1] |
| Site | Atlantic Ocean near West End Settlement, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas 26°17′45″N 79°27′26″W / 26.29583°N 79.45722°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas DC-3A |
| Operator | Florida Commuter Airlines |
| Registration | N75KW |
| Flight origin | Palm Beach International Airport, West Palm Beach, Florida, United States |
| Destination | Grand Bahama International Airport, Freeport, Bahamas |
| Occupants | 34 |
| Passengers | 30 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 34 |
| Survivors | 0 |
On September 12, 1980, Florida Commuter Airlines Flight 65, operating from West Palm Beach, Florida to Freeport, Bahamas, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near West End Settlement on Grand Bahama Island. The Douglas DC-3A used on the flight was not recovered and all 34 persons on board were killed.[1][2][3]
Investigators were unable to determine the cause of the crash, but determined that factors likely contributing to the crash included flight into a thunderstorm, unreliable instruments due to discrepancies in the pitot-static system, and lack of proper operational oversight by airline management.[1]
- ^ a b c Florida Commuter Airlines, Inc. Douglas DC-3, N75KW, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas, September 12, 1980 (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. March 20, 1981. NTSB-AAR-81-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 30, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2017. - New URL - Copy at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
- ^ ""I Was Scared": Six Friends Die In Plane Crash". The Palm Beach Post. September 15, 1980.[permanent dead link] - Clipping at Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Flight to Freeport Crashes; 34 Dead". The Palm Beach Post. September 14, 1980. pp. A1, A24.[permanent dead link] - Clipping at Newspapers.com.