{{Infobox Airliner accident

| name=Skyway Enterprises Flight 7101

| Date=October 29, 2014

| Type=Departed controlled flight during initial climb

| image=Short 360-200, Skyway JP5687173.jpg

| occurrence_type=Accident

| caption=Sister ship of accident aircraft landing at Princess Juliana Int'l, 17 October 2005

| Site=3 miles from departure end of runway 28 [[Princess Juliana International Airport|SMX]], [[Saint Martin]]

| Fatalities=2 (all)

| Injuries=0

| Aircraft Type=[[Short 360|Short 360-200]] | Operator=[[Skyway Enterprises]]

| Origin=[[Princess Juliana International Airport]], [[Saint Martin]]

| Destination=[[Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport]], [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]]

| tail_number=N380MQ

| Passengers=0

| Crew=2

| Survivors=0}}

'''Skyway Enterprises Flight 7101''' ('''KI7101'''/'''SKZ7101''') was a non-scheduled cargo flight operating under 14 CFR Part 135<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20141030X64658&key=1|title=DCA15RA018|work=ntsb.gov|accessdate=30 April 2015}}</ref> from [[Princess Juliana International Airport]] on the Caribbean island of [[Saint Martin]] to [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]]. On October 29, 2014, the [[Short 360|Short 360-200]] cargo aircraft, operated by [[Skyway Enterprises]] on a [[FedEx]] charter flight, took off from Princess Juliana's runway 28 at 18:35 local time (22:35Z). During the initial [[climb (aeronautics)|climb]] out, approximately 30 seconds after takeoff and at an altitude of about {{convert|500|ft|m|-1}}, the air traffic controller gave instructions to change heading to 230 degrees for traffic.<ref name="harroranter"/> Shortly afterwards the aircraft crashed into Maho Bay approximately three miles from shore. The pilot and co-pilot suffered fatal injuries.<ref name="harroranter">{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20141029-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Shorts 360-200 N380MQ Sint Maarten-Juliana Airport (SXM)|author=Harro Ranter|date=29 October 2014|work=aviation-safety.net|accessdate=30 April 2015}}</ref>

==Aircraft and crew==

The accident aircraft, registration ''N380MQ '', was manufactured by the [[Short Brothers]] aerospace company in the [[United Kingdom]] in 1986 with [[Serial number|manufacturer's serial number]] SH3702. It was powered by two [[Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6|Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AR]] [[turboprop]] engines rated at 1,424 shp (1,062&nbsp;kW) each.<ref name="harroranter"/>

The crew consisted of a 49-year-old German national carrying a valid United States green card as captain and a U.S. citizen from Puerto Rico as first officer.<ref name="thedailyherald.com1"/>

==Investigation==

The final report has not yet been released, but areas investigators are examining include:

===Weather===

At 19:00 local time, 25 minutes after the crash the weather was reported as "Wind 210 degrees at 8 knots, varying in direction between 160 and 250 degrees; Visibility: 10+ km; light rain; few clouds at 1300 feet; broken clouds at 3500 feet; Temperature: 27°C; Dew point 25°C; Pressure: 1011 mb".<ref name="harroranter"/>

===Prior incident===

"The crash follows another incident at SXM Airport just two days prior in which the same aircraft is understood to have been involved. The aircraft is said to have developed a problem during landing and to have veered to the left on the runway, nearly hitting the airport’s SOL jet fuel bunker, after which it had to be removed by the Fire Department. The aircraft had undergone repairs during the last two days."<ref name="thedailyherald.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailyherald.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51134:one-missing-one-dead-after-fedex-plane-crash&catid=1:islands-news&Itemid=54|title=One missing, one dead after FedEx plane crash|work=The Daily Herald|accessdate=30 April 2015}}</ref>

===Technical problems===

"Unconfirmed reports stated that the girlfriend of one of the pilots has said that her partner told her he felt uneasy about flying the plane after its recent near miss with technical problems, when it nearly crashed into a SOL fuel tanker on landing two days earlier."<ref name="thedailyherald.com1">{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailyherald.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51152:deceased-pilot-identified-co-pilot-search-continues&catid=1:islands-news&Itemid=54 |title=Deceased pilot identified, co-pilot search continues|work=The Daily Herald|accessdate=10 May 2015}}</ref>

==Recovery==

At 20:30 local time on the day of the crash, large volumes of debris were reported washing up on shore between Mullet Bay and La Samanna. Rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather, with lightning and heavy rain. At approximately 21:20 the battered body of the pilot Eric Schnell<ref name="thedailyherald.com1">{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailyherald.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51363:aircraft-wreckage-located-pilots-body-not-in-cockpit&catid=1:islands-news&Itemid=54|title=Aircraft wreckage located, pilot’s body not in cockpit|work=The Daily Herald|accessdate=5 May 2015}}</ref> was recovered between Mullet Bay and Cupecoy by the Coast Guard, working with the [[Royal Marines]].<ref name="thedailyherald.com"/>

On November 5, 2014 a team of experts arrived from Puerto Rico to assist with recovery of main fuselage from the seabed. A [[Global Positioning System]] (GPS) that was found during the search and rescue operation was sent to the [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB) to assisted in narrowing the search area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sintmaartengov.org/PressReleases/Pages/Vessel-to-arrive-Friday-to-Locate-Wreckage-of-Skyway-Airway-Short-SH36-aircraft.aspx|title=Vessel to arrive Friday to Locate Wreckage of Skyway Airway Short SH36 aircraft|work=sintmaartengov.org|accessdate=30 April 2015}}</ref>

On November 10, 2014 the fuselage and a wing were located at a depth of 75 feet by the rescue team in cooperation with the Coast Guard. The missing co-pilot and his seat were not found inside the cabin.<ref name="thedailyherald.com1"/>

During a search of the wreckage site and surrounding area on November 11, 2014, scuba divers found the body of the co-pilot, still strapped to his seat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sxmgovernment.com/2014/11/11/update-full-details-rigoberto-lopez-the-pilot-of-the-plane-crash-remains-have-been-found-near-wreckage/|title=Plane crash remains have been found near wreckage|work=sxmgovernment.com|accessdate=30 April 2015}}</ref>

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==

* {{ASN accident|id=20141029-0}}

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 2014}}

[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 2014]]

[[Category:Accidents and incidents involving the Short 360]]

[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents by type|ditching]]