Five Fatally Injured When The Airplane Went Down

The pilot who operated the plane that went down at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport last Thursday night, resulting in the fatal injury of all five occupants including a member of the Stylee Band, was not rated to fly multi-engine aircraft such as the one he operated that night, according to FAA records obtained by The Virgin Islands Consortium. Pilot David Richardson held only a single-engine airplane rating, according to the agency.

The aircraft was owned by Richardson, the records show. It was 1970 Baron Model 58 with fixed wing multi-engine, built in 1970.

“Public safety is put at risk when people do stupid things like this with airplanes, because 1), he is not qualified, and 2), if he had any liability insurance on that airplane it will be voided because he violated his insurance policy,” said a pilot with three levels of certification who helped The Consortium obtain Richardson’s FAA certification records. “You can own an airplane and not be able to fly it. That means you have someone else flying it for you who is qualified,” he said.

The accident occurred about 8:54 p.m. on Thursday, according to a statement the Port Authority issued on its Facebook page.

Police Commissioner Delroy Richards told The Virgin Islands Consortium that the aircraft developed engine problems shortly after takeoff from St. Croix airport, with one of the engines reportedly on fire. The pilot circled back and attempted to land at the airport, but the plane went down in a field area near the runway.

David Goodrich, commander of St. Croix Rescue’s extrication team, who was on the scene of the incident, told The Consortium that by the time they arrived to the area, there was nothing they could do.

Moments following the accident, the V.I.P.D. cordoned off the east and west entrances of the airport, only allowing in first responders. The V.I. Fire Service and other first responder agencies were already on the scene when a medical examiner vehicle was spotted heading to the area.

As of Sunday, the Department of Justice had yet to release the identities of the individuals who died during the crash. However, Attorney General Claude Walker told The Consortium on Saturday that the names would be released within days.

(Source: The Virgin Islands Consortium news release. Image from file)

FMI: viconsortium.com