The Captains Council, Inc. expresses its profound sorrow over the air accident that occurred today in the vicinity of La Romana International Airport, involving Gulfstream 200 aircraft registration N318JF, which claimed the lives of its two pilots. On behalf of our organization and the aviation community, we extend our sincerest condolences to the families, friends, and professional colleagues of the victims. This tragedy brings mourning to the entire aviation sector and reminds us of the importance of maintaining constant vigilance over the highest operational safety standards. In light of this unfortunate event, we consider it essential that the technical investigation of the accident be conducted with absolute independence, transparency, and credibility.
For this reason, we formally request that the Dominican Republic avail itself of the recent amendments to Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which establish the possibility of transferring the leadership of an aircraft accident investigation to another State or organization in order to preserve the credibility and transparency of the process when concerns regarding credibility or conflicts of interest exist. Accordingly, we propose that the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) assume responsibility for leading the investigation of this accident, in coordination with the competent Dominican authorities and in accordance with the international cooperation mechanisms provided for under Annex 13.
This request is based on the current lack of confidence in the management of the Civil Aviation Accident Investigation Commission (CIAA), particularly due to the controversy surrounding the involvement of its current director in functions related to operational safety oversight during the period in which the Helidosa accident occurred in December 2021. More than five years after that tragic event, the investigation has yet to produce a final report, a situation that has generated concern within the aviation community and among the victims’ families regarding the institutional capacity to provide timely and transparent answers.
These amendments recognize that public confidence in the results of an investigation is an essential component of the continuous improvement of operational safety. Additionally, it is important to note that this would be the second investigation of a fatal aviation accident involving U.S. citizens that remains open in the Dominican Republic, with the December 2021 Helidosa accident being the preceding case. This reality increases the legitimate interest of U.S. authorities in determining the facts and further supports our request that the NTSB lead the investigation, for the benefit of transparency, credibility, and the confidence of the victims’ families and the international aviation community.
The Captains Council will continue to monitor developments in this case and will support all initiatives aimed at strengthening aviation safety, institutional transparency, and public confidence in accident investigation processes in the Dominican Republic.