Prinair
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Prinair was Puerto Rico's domestic and international commuter airline for three decades.
Service started in 1966, under the name Ponce Air. The initial service flew from Mercedita Airport in Ponce to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (then known as Isla Verde International Airport) in San Juan. The company's name was changed to Prinair the following year (Puerto Rico INternational AIR lines).
The airline used de Havilland Heron reciprocating aircraft for its services. The livery reminded the public of Braniff International Airways because of the many different colors used. During the 1970s, expansion saw the airline start services to Opa Locka, a Florida location close to Miami, Santo Domingo, the Virgin Islands, Martinique, Barbados, Puerto Plata, and many other Caribbean destinations, as well as Vieques, Mayagüez, Culebra and Aguadilla on the domestic side.
[edit] Incidents and accidents
Prinair suffered two fatal accidents (including flight 191) which negatively impacted the public's trust in the airline. The first was a landing accident at Mercedita Airport in Ponce, which resulted in the death of all nine passengers. The second accident occurred in Santurce, a district in San Juan near Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, which resulted in the death of all passengers aboard, as well as four casualties on the ground. One of the injured individuals was Luciano Rivera, who was a mechanic and became a news celebrity after the crash.
Prinair Flight 277 Crashes into El Yunque, March 5, 1969
Prinair flight 277 departed Saint Thomas at 17:15 for an IFR flight to San Juan. At 17:32, the flight contacted San Juan Approach Control and advised that the flight was maintaining 4,000 feet. The trainee approach controller replied:"Prinair two seven seven San Juan Approach Control radar contact three miles east of Isla Verde fly a heading of two five zero for a vector to ILS final maintain four thousand." Actually the flight was 3 miles east of the Fajardo intersection instead of the Isla Verde intersection which is located about 10 miles west of the Fajardo intersection. One minute later the Heron was cleared to descend to 3,000 feet. At 17:38, after being vectored for a runway 07 approach, the airplane contacted trees and crashed, coming to rest near the top of a knoll in the Sierra de Luquillo mountains at an elevation of about 2400 feet.
In the 1980s Prinair introduced service with larger and more capable Convair turboprop aircraft. This provided the plane spotter at San Juan with another interesting airplane to look out for, but did little for the airline other than help increase the earnings from the Virgin Islands routes. Increased competition for these routes from Aero Virgin Islands and Oceanair, in addition to a measure of distrust from the public that had not forgotten the fatal crashes, caused Prinair to cease operations in November, 1984.
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