Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101
Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 was an aircraft crash that occurred off Miami Beach, Florida, in the United States on December 19, 2005. All 18 passengers and the 2 crew members on board the 1947 Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallard died in the crash, which was attributed to metal fatigue on the starboard wing resulting in separation of the wing from the fuselage. It was the only fatal passenger incident for Chalk's Ocean Airways. Accident details On December 19, 2005, Chalk's Ocean Airways Flight 101 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States to Bimini, Bahamas, crashed off Miami Beach, Florida, shortly after takeoff from an unscheduled stop at the Miami Seaplane Base. Witnesses saw white smoke billowing from the aircraft before the right wing ripped off and the aircraft plunged into the ocean. The aircraft crashed and sank in Government Cut channel, a waterway that connects the Port of Miami with the Atlantic Ocean. Government Cut was closed to shipping until 6:30 p.m. on December 20, stranding at least three cruise ships. The aircraft was a 58-year-old Grumman G-73T Turbine Mallard manufactured in 1947. The captain was Michele Marks, 37, of Boynton Beach, Florida. Marks had been promoted to captain a year prior to the accident. First Officer Paul DeSanctis, 34, of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, had joined the airline eight months before the accident. Marks had 2,820 flight hours under her belt and DeSanctis had accumulated 1,420 flight hours. Both pilots died in the crash. On December 22, 2005 the NTSB issued a press release that included pictures showing metal fatigue on the wing that broke off. The discovery of the metal fatigue in the wing led to Chalk's Ocean Airways voluntary grounding of the rest of its fleet for further inspection. On May 30, 2007, Reuters reported that "The National Transportation Safety Board asserted Chalk Ocean Airways failed to identify and properly repair fatigue cracks on the 1947 Grumman Turbo Mallard. The plane lost its right wing a few minutes after take-off for the Bahamas at and plunged into the shipping channel adjacent to the Port of Miami on December 19, 2005." The safety board, in its final report on the probable cause of the crash, noted numerous maintenance-related problems on the aircraft and another owned by the company, raising questions about Chalk's Ocean Airways' aircraft maintenance practices. "The signs of structural problems were there but not addressed," safety board chairman Mark Rosenker said. The safety board also said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) failed to detect and correct the airline's maintenance shortfalls. Regulations exempt older seaplanes from rigorous structural oversight. Chalk's had no comment on the safety board's findings. The FAA said it had no indication that the airline's maintenance program was in question. "The regulations are crystal clear that the carrier has primary responsibility for the airworthiness of (its) fleet and that includes making appropriate structural repairs," the agency said in a statement. Probable cause The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the accident was a fatigue failure in