Birgenair (Alas Nacionales) Boeing 757-200 - Birgenair flight 301 On February, 1996 a Birgenair 757 crashes at sea near Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic killing 189 people. Investigators discover that a Pitot tube was blocked and caused wrong airspeed readings. What blocked the Pitot tube is not ice, dirt, dust or tape, is a wasp nest.