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((short description|Aviation accident in the Caribbean Sea on 2 May 1970))
((more citations needed|date=September 2018))
((Use dmy dates|date=January 2020))
((Infobox aircraft occurrence
| name            = ALM Antillean Airlines Flight 980
| image           = Douglas DC-9-33F N937F ONA MIA 17.07.76 edited-2.jpg
| image_size      = 230
| alt             = 
| caption         = An ONA Douglas DC-9-33CF leased by ALM, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident
| date            = May 2, 1970
| summary         = [[Water landing]] after [[Fuel starvation|fuel exhaustion]] due to [[pilot error]]
| occurrence_type = Accident
| site            = [[Caribbean Sea]]
| coordinates     = ((Coord|18|N|64|W|type:event|display=inline,title))
| aircraft_type   = [[McDonnell-Douglas DC-9|Douglas DC-9-33CF]]
| aircraft_name   = ''Carib Queen''
| operator        = [[Overseas National Airways]] on behalf of [[ALM Antillean Airlines]]
| tail_number     = N935F
| origin          = [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]], New York
| stopover        = 
| stopover0       = 
| last_stopover   = 
| destination     = [[Princess Juliana International Airport]], [[St. Maarten]]
| occupants       = 63
| passengers      = 57
| crew            = 6
| fatalities      = 23
| injuries        = 37
| missing         = 
| survivors       = 40
))

'''ALM Antillean Airlines Flight 980''' was a flight scheduled to fly from [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] in New York City to [[Princess Juliana International Airport]] in [[St. Maarten]], [[Netherlands Antilles]], on May 2, 1970. After several unsuccessful landing attempts, the aircraft's fuel was exhausted, and it made a forced [[water landing]] (ditching) in the [[Caribbean Sea]] ((convert|48|km|mi nmi|abbr=on)) off [[St. Croix]], with 23 fatalities and 40 survivors. The accident is one of a small number of intentional water ditchings of [[jet airliner]]s.

== Aircraft and crew ==
The aircraft was a twin-engine [[McDonnell-Douglas DC-9|Douglas DC-9-33CF]], operated on behalf of [[ALM Antillean Airlines]] by [[Overseas National Airways]] (ONA), with an ONA aircraft and flight crew, and an ALM cabin crew. Its serial number was 47407, its line number was 457, and was manufactured on 23 January 1969. It was registered in the United States with FAA [[Aircraft registration|tail number]] ((Airreg|N|935F|.)) The flight carried 57 passengers and 6 crew. The flight crew consisted of Captain Balsey DeWitt (37), First Officer Harry Evans II (25), and Navigator Hugh Hart (35).<ref name="ntsb" />

== Flight and ditching ==
Flight 980 made a normal departure from Kennedy Airport, and had an uneventful flight to the Caribbean. 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, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], but shortly thereafter, the [[control tower|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. After assessing the weather and fuel situation, the crew elected to divert to [[Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands|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. The captain advised ATC of his intention to ditch the aircraft, and began a low approach over the water. Flight 980 ditched in the [[Caribbean Sea]] at 3:49 pm local time, 30 miles east of St. Croix.<ref name= "New York Times">((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=May 3, 1970))</ref><ref name="ntsb">((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]].
</ref>

Although the pilots flashed the seat belt signs just prior to ditching, confusion remained in the cabin as to when or whether the plane was to touch down. The [[public address system]] was not working on the plane, so the cabin were not given any warning of the impending ditching. Consequently, an unknown number of passengers and crew were either standing up, or had their seat belts unfastened, when the aircraft struck the water.

The sea was rough at the time as a result of the weather conditions.<ref name="New York Times" /> The aircraft remained relatively intact after the water landing, but soon sank in about ((convert|5000|ft|m|abbr=on)) of water, and was never recovered. The accident resulted in 23 fatalities, as well as injuries to 37 of the 40 survivors. Both pilots and the navigator survived. The survivors were left bobbing in the turbulent and shark-inhabited sea in their life jackets until rescue came.<ref name="New York Times" /><ref name = "Why Planes Crash">((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 ))</ref> Recovery of the survivors by helicopter began approximately ((frac|1|1|2)) hours after the ditching, and the last survivor, the [[First officer (aviation)|first officer]], was picked up about 1 hour later.<ref name="ntsb" /> The helicopters were guided to the rescue site by a [[Pan Am|Pan American Airways]] plane, whose pilot reported the ditching by radio, then circled the scene until help came to help guide rescuers.<ref name="New York Times" />

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]].

== Investigation and aftermath ==
The accident was investigated by the U.S. [[National Transportation Safety Board]] (NTSB). 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. 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. 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.<ref name="ntsb" />|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.

The recommendations in the report included adding "warn passengers" to the checklist of procedures for [[emergency landing]]s and ditchings, requiring that flights not be dispatched without a working [[public address]] system, and phasing out an older type of [[seat belt]] then in use in favor of more modern designs.

DeWitt was fired six weeks after the incident; he never piloted a plane again.<ref>((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))</ref><ref>((Citation |title=Why Planes Crash Ep. 1 – Brace For Impact |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmYN4hP9RDk |language=en |access-date=2022-08-25))</ref>

== In popular culture ==
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.<ref name="Why Planes Crash" />

== See also ==
((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|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.
* [[Gimli Glider|Air Canada Flight 143]], a [[Boeing 767|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 Classic|Boeing 737-3Q8]] which ditched into the [[Solo River]] after a dual-engine flameout due to exessive hail and heavy rain indigestion. One died out of the 60 occupants on board.
* [[US Airways Flight 1549]], an [[Airbus A320 family|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]]
((clear right))

==References==
((reflist))

((McDonnell Douglas DC-9 family))
((Commercial Ditchings))
((Aviation accidents and incidents in 1970))

[[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 events in North America]]

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