De Havilland DH.114 Heron crash, Jul 24, 1979 (8 killed)
De Havilland DH.114 Heron accident on July 24, 1979 near Christiansted-Henry E. Rohlsen (ex Alexander Hamilton), US Virgin Islands with 8 fatalities....
- Date: July 24, 1979
- Aircraft: De Havilland DH.114 Heron
- Location: Christiansted-Henry E. Rohlsen (ex Alexander Hamilton), US Virgin Islands
- Fatalities: 8
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: Improper loading: the aircraft was overloaded and its centre of gravity was too far aft. The NTSB blamed the company for failing to supervise and enforce its loading procedures, and found inadequate FAA surveillance and enforcement to be causal factors.
On 24 July 1979 a Prinair de Havilland Heron (N575PR) on a San Juan, St Maarten, Christiansted and San Juan service crashed during takeoff from Alexander Hamilton Airport, St Croix. The aircraft was overloaded by about 1,060 lb with its centre of gravity about 8 inches too far aft. It climbed nose high, rolled left and right and struck the ground in a right wing down attitude. The first officer and seven passengers were killed, and the captain and 12 passengers were seriously injured.