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NTSB Record Lists Britten-Norman BN-2B-27 Accident Near Isla de Culebra, Puerto Rico

An accident record lists N865VL as substantially damaged on February 22, 2026; the cause has not been determined and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 7, 2026, 10:36 a.m. ET
This is a developing story. According to the accident record, a was involved in an accident near Isla de Culebra, Puerto Rico, at about local time on February 22, 2026. The record lists the aircraft as and states that it sustained substantial damage. The flight is classified in the record as a Part 135 commuter or on-demand operation. The accident record does not list injury counts, which is usual for a preliminary filing. The cause has not been determined. The National Transportation Safety Board is listed as the investigating body. Aircraft registry records describe as a twin-engine piston landplane, serial number 2125, built in 1987 and 39 years old at the time of the accident, fitted with Lycoming O-540-E4C5 engines and registered in the United States. The registry lists the operator of record as Vieques Air Link and the registered owner as Vieques Air Link Inc; the owner of record is not necessarily the operator of the flight, the pilot, or otherwise connected to it. Registry records can be out of date. Published material on the company, drawn from the sources listed below, describes Vieques Air Link, Inc. as a Puerto Rico-based regional carrier founded on 14 October 1965 and incorporated on 5 April 1967, operating scheduled commuter and charter passenger and cargo services under 14 CFR Part 135 between Vieques, Culebra, mainland Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, marketing its scheduled flights as public charters under Part 380, and flying a small fleet of Britten-Norman Islanders and Trislanders, Cessna Caravans and Cessna 402s. It is listed by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a commuter air carrier. An FAA exemption petition identifies Carlos M. Rodriguez as president of the company, and a federal award-management registration lists Ginnette Montes among the officers of the entity; the investigation has made no finding connecting either of them to this accident. None of this background says anything about the cause of the accident. Geographic reference data places Isla de Culebra in the Culebra district of Puerto Rico, at a settlement terrain elevation of 190 ft — a figure for the settlement, not for the accident site — about 1.4 miles east of Benjamin Rivera Noriega Airport (TJCP/CPX) and 19 miles northeast of Antonio Rivera Rodriguez Airport (TJVQ/VQS). The NTSB investigation remains open.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Registration
N865VL
Type
Pilatus Britten-norman Limited BN-2B-27 — twin-engine piston landplane
Engines
LYCOMING O-540-E4C5
Built
1987-01-01 (39 years old)
Operator of record
Vieques Air Link
Registered owner
Vieques Air Link IncThe owner of record is not necessarily the operator, the pilot, or otherwise connected to the flight.
Terrain elevation
190 ft
Nearest aerodrome
1.4 miles E of Benjamin Rivera Noriega Airport (TJCP/CPX)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 27 Aug 2026, 14:36current

    Corrected the bearing to Antonio Rivera Rodriguez Airport, clarified that the 190 ft elevation is for the settlement rather than the accident site, and added the company's founding and incorporation dates.

  2. Version 15 Aug 2026, 16:59

    First published.

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