The pilot who operated the plane that crashed at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on Thursday night, killing all five occupants including a member of the Stylee Band, was not licensed to operate a multi-engine plane like the one he operated that fateful night, according to official Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.) records.
The pilot, David Richardson, one of five who perished in the accident, was licensed to operate only single engine aircraft, according to the F.A.A. records.
The aircraft that crashed was owned by Richardson, the F.A.A. records show. It was manufactured by Beech, and was a Baron model 58 with fixed wing multi-engine, built in 1970 — making the plane 47 years old, the F.A.A.’s registry record of the aircraft shows.
Pilots have different levels of certification which authorizes various levels of clearance for the operation of aircraft and even certain altitudes. The certifications include airplane single-engine land, which authorizes a pilot to operate only single-engine aircraft; airplane multiengine land, which authorizes the operation of aircraft with multiple engines, and instrument airplane, which authorizes pilots to operate aircraft inside clouds and other meteorological conditions.
Airports are not responsible for the certification and supervision of pilots; that falls under the purview of the F.A.A. The U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico are governed by the F.A.A.’s office in San Juan, PR. Because there’s no F.A.A. office in the USVI, Richardson may have been able to get away with operating the twin-engine aircraft even if he did not have the proper certification to do so.
Since Richardson died in the crash, the case will be closed because there’s no one to prosecute. And any financial compensation through insurance that could have been rewarded because of the accident, is void, since Richardson violated the agreement by operating the twin-engine plane.
The accident
The crash occurred about 8:54 p.m. on Thursday, according to a statement the Port Authority issued on its Facebook page.
Police Commissioner Delroy Richards said after the crash that the aircraft took off from the St. Croix airport and soon after started experiencing engine problems, with flames coming from one of its two engines. The pilot circled back and attempted to land at the airport, but the plane crashed in a field area near the runway, leaving all occupants dead.
David Goodrich, commander of St. Croix Rescue’s extrication team, who was on the scene of the incident, said that by the time they arrived to the area, there was nothing they could do.
The plane included one member of the Stylee Band. At least two other persons on the plane were affiliated with the group, but they were not members of the band.
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.
The tragedy has cast a cloud of sadness over the territory, as the Stylee Band, currently one of the territory’s premier groups, is known to help carry the festival season, especially their performances during the Festival Village, j’ouvert morning and the parades.
