ALM Flight 980

The aircraft was a twin-engine Douglas DC-9-33CF, operated by Overseas National Airways (ONA) on behalf of ALM, with an ONA aircraft and flight crew, and an ALM cabin crew.{{Cite web |title=ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-33CF N935F St. Croix, Virgin Islands [Caribbean Sea] |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19700502-0 |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=aviation-safety.net}} Its serial number was 47407, its line number was 457, and was manufactured in January 1969. It was registered as {{Airreg|N|935F|.}}

The flight carried 57 passengers and 6 crew.{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/03/archives/40-of-63-on-new-york-jet-safe-in-caribbean-ditching-jet-with-63.html | title=40 of 63 on New York Jet Safe in Caribbean Ditching | work=The New York Times | date=3 May 1970 }} The flight crew consisted of 37-year-old Captain Balsey DeWitt, with 12,000 flight hours; 1,700 on the DC-9. His co-pilot was 25-year-old First Officer Harry Evans II. He had logged 3,500 flight hours, and of those, 600 hours were logged on the DC-9. The last cockpit crew member was 35-year-old Navigator Hugh Hart with 17 of his 7,000 flight hours being on the DC-9.

Flight 980 made a normal departure from Kennedy Airport, and had an uneventful flight to the Caribbean, although the flight did need to descend to a lower altitude south of Bermuda to avoid thunderstorms, increasing the fuel consumption rate.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=2o3xXoEsvJsGano5&v=rPQZbbgr4w8&feature=youtu.be |title=A Desperate Crew and Their Awful Decisions - The Extraordinary Tale of ALM Flight 980 |date=2025-02-10 |last=Disaster Breakdown |access-date=2025-03-25 |via=YouTube}} After the flight was given descent clearance to {{convert|10000|ft|m}}, regional air traffic control (ATC) advised that weather in St. Maarten was below landing minima, a set of criteria that determine whether landing is possible. The captain elected to divert to San Juan, but shortly thereafter, the tower at St. Maarten advised them that the weather had improved sufficiently for landing.

The flight made an initial approach to St. Maarten, but failed to see the runway in time to line up for landing, and announced a missed approach. Flight 980 then made a second landing attempt, but it, too, was unsuccessful because of alignment with the runway. After breaking off that approach, the crew made a third attempt, but the aircraft was too high to land safely. {{Page reference|page=|pages=7-8}}

After assessing the weather and fuel situation, the crew elected to divert to St. Croix, and received a vector and clearance. At this point, the crew noticed a possible discrepancy between the fuel gauges and what had been computed as the amount of fuel remaining.{{Page reference|page=9}}

The captain advised ATC of his intention to ditch the aircraft, and began a low approach over the water.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} Flight 980 ditched in the Caribbean Sea at 3:49 pm local time, {{convert|30|nmi|km|round=5|order=flip|abbr=off}} east of St. Croix.{{cite news |title=40 of 63 on New York Jet Safe in Caribbean Ditching |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/05/03/archives/40-of-63-on-new-york-jet-safe-in-caribbean-ditching-jet-with-63.html |access-date=13 May 2020 |work=The New York Times |date=3 May 1970}}{{cite journal |date=March 31, 1971 |title=Overseas National Airways, Inc. Douglas DC-9 N935F, Operating as Antillaanse Luchtvaart Flight 980, Near St. Croix, Virgin Islands, May 2, 1970 |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7108.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Aircraft Accident Report |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |id=NTSB-AAR-71-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305041014/https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR7108.pdf |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |access-date=February 15, 2009}} - [https://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR71-08.pdf See copy at] Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University.

Although the pilots flashed the seat belt signs multiple times prior to ditching, including 3 times right before the ditching, confusion remained in the cabin as to when or whether the plane was to touch down.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} The public address system was not working on the plane, but when navigator Hugh Hart left the cockpit, he left the door open, providing the cabin crew members with communication and allowing awareness about the impending ditching.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} The engines flamed out at about 100 ft, according to captain DeWitt. {{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} The purser, the navigator, and 1 flight attendant had attempted to prepare the life raft, which ultimately inflated inside the cabin after the aircraft hit the water, and sank with the aircraft.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} Consequently, an unknown number of passengers and at least 1 flight attendant were either standing up, or had their seat belts unfastened, when the aircraft struck the water.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} First officer Evans, navigator Hart, the purser, and 1 flight attendant escaped through the R1 door, most of the passengers escaped through either the R2 or the R3 door. Captain DeWitt escaped through the cockpit window, however, he later reentered the cabin through the L2 door, and assisted passengers out the R1, R2, and the R3 doors. He later exited for the last time through the R3 door.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

The sea was rough at the time as a result of the weather conditions. The aircraft, although relatively intact after the water landing, suffered a massive de-acceleration, which caused the aircraft to stop in a distance shorter than the length of aircraft itself. {{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} An emergency slide, likely from the R1 door, had detached from the aircraft, and provided a life raft for most of the survivors. {{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} The plane, however, soon sank nose first in about {{convert|5000|ft|m|abbr=on}} of water, and was never recovered.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} The accident resulted in 23 fatalities, as well as injuries to 37 of the 40 survivors.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} Both pilots and the navigator survived.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} The survivors were left bobbing in the turbulent and shark-inhabited sea in their life jackets until rescue came.{{cite book |last1=Sommers |first1=Caroline |title=Brace for Impact |date=12 July 2009 |publisher=NBC Peacock Productions |location=Why Planes Crash |format=TV Documentary |url=https://weloveweather.tv/twc/ |access-date=13 May 2020 |archive-date=13 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613201254/https://weloveweather.tv/twc/ |url-status=dead }} Recovery of the survivors by helicopter began approximately {{frac|1|1|2}} hours after the ditching, and the last survivor, the first officer, was picked up about an hour later. The helicopters were guided to the rescue site by a Pan American Airways plane, whose pilot reported the ditching by radio, then circled the scene until help came to help guide rescuers.

In the wake of the disaster, rescue efforts proved both heroic and heartbreaking. While 40 people survived, the search for victims continued fruitlessly. Among those lost was stewardess Margareth Abraham, whose bravery in the cabin was overshadowed by the tragic outcome.[https://en.saednews.com/.post/down-in-deep-water-the-story-of-alm-antillean-airlines-flight-980-yhu9]

Rescue efforts included units from the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps, and a number of survivors were rescued by helicopter.{{Cn|date=January 2025}}

The accident was investigated by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} The report concluded that the cause of the accident was poor fuel management, complicated by the crew's inattention and distraction as a result of the weather situation and multiple diversions.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} Some specific issues cited include miscalculation of the rate of fuel consumption, misreading fuel gauges, and incorrect computation of the amount of fuel expected to be remaining at the time of landing.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} The NTSB report stated:

{{Blockquote|text=The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was fuel exhaustion which resulted from continued, unsuccessful attempts to land at St. Maarten until insufficient fuel remained to reach an alternate airport.|sign=|source=NTSB report}}

The NTSB also concluded that the chances of survival in the accident were worsened by poor coordination among the crew before and during the ditching.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

The recommendations in the report included adding "warn passengers" to the checklist of procedures for emergency landings and ditchings, requiring that flights not be dispatched without a working public address system, and phasing out a metal to fabric design of seat belt then in use in favor of a more modern metal to metal design.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}} It should be noted, however, that while the board found increased fuel consumption/fuel exhaustion due to multiple attempts to try and land at Sint Marteen as pilot error, the board did find that the flying skill of Captain Balsey DeWitt during the ditching to be incredible. He demonstrated excellent airmanship in ditching the plane on stormy waters. Further, he was the last to leave the plane and helped in the rescue efforts.{{Cn|date=May 2025}}

File:Airplane_seat_belt_2.jpg

Captain DeWitt was fired six weeks after the ditching; he never piloted a plane again.{{Cite news |last=Lindsey |first=Robert |date=1970-07-08 |title=Pilot of Ditched Plane Testifies Public Address Unit Was Out |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/08/archives/pilot-of-ditched-plane-testifies-public-address-unit-was-out.html |access-date=2022-08-25 |issn=0362-4331}}

The ditching was also made into a film. The ditching of Flight 980 is featured in the first season 1 episode of The Weather Channel documentary Why Planes Crash. The episode, produced and directed by Caroline Sommers and entitled "Brace for Impact," aired in July 2009. It features an exclusive interview with Captain Balsey DeWitt.

{{Portal|Caribbean|Netherlands|United States|Aviation}}

• List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
• Southern Airways Flight 242, another McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 which crash landed on a highway due to dual-engine flameout. 22 out of the 85 occupants survived the crash-landing.
• Air Transat Flight 236, an Airbus A330-243 which successfully executed an emergency landing after a dual-engine flameout. Only 18 occupants out of the 306 were injured. Nobody died.
• Air Canada Flight 143, a Boeing 767-233 which successfully executed an emergency landing after a dual-engine flameout. 10 out of the 69 occupants were injured. Nobody died.
• Garuda Indonesia Flight 421, a Boeing 737-3Q8 which ditched into the Solo River after a dual-engine flameout due to excessive hail and heavy rain indigestion. One died out of the 60 occupants on board.
• US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320-214 which ditched into the Hudson River after a dual-engine flameout which was caused by a flock of birds. 100 occupants out of the 150 were injured. Nobody died.
• List of airline flights that required gliding

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{{reflist}}

{{McDonnell Douglas DC-9 family}}

{{Commercial Ditchings}}

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 1970}}

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in the 1970s}}

Category:Airliner accidents and incidents caused by fuel exhaustion

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1970

Category:Airliner accidents and incidents in the United States Virgin Islands

Category:Airliner accidents and incidents involving ditching

Category:Accidents and incidents involving the McDonnell Douglas DC-9

Category:ALM Antillean Airlines accidents and incidents

Category:1970 in the United States Virgin Islands

Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1970

Category:May 1970 in North America