July 19, 2006 – The U.S. Coast Guard in San Juan Wednesday afternoon identified the four people who were aboard the Four Star DC-3 that crashed into the ocean upon takeoff from Cyril E. King Airport Wednesday morning.
The four crewmembers are, Rafael Ramos, 72, pilot; Nicky Mentzen, 26, co-pilot; Pedro Arrocho, 36, and Jerry Medina, 26. All are from Puerto Rico, and all are Four Star employees. (See "DC-3 Crashes into Ocean off Cyril E. King Airport")
The four crewmen were recovered safely by the Good Samaritan vessel Ocean Riders which was nearby when the aircraft ditched. The 25-foot Coast Guard response boat which was deployed as soon as the Coast Guard was notified of the crash, escorted the Ocean Riders into Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment, St. Thomas pier, a release from USCG said.
All the men were transported by local authorities to Schneider Regional Medical Center, to receive medical care, however, three of the crewmembers declined to receive medical treatment.
The aircraft was on its way back to San Juan, Puerto Rico after delivering mail to Saint Thomas.
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