Rosita was a Taylor/Piper J-2 small airplane, named and piloted by Raul. While Raul had rebuilt its engine, Indiana Jones considered the plane held together with baling wire and a prayer. The plane had a range of only a few hundred miles before needing to refuel.
In the summer of 1943, Rosita was flown by Raul with two passengers, Indiana Jones and George McHale, from Cuba towards Haiti. After taking off in Santiago, Rosita had been refueled at Guantanamo and Baraco before heading over the Windward Passage to Mole Saint-Nicolas. During the flight, Jones had been concerned about overloading the weight of the plane, and his fears turned to reality as the plane's engine died, crashing the craft into the sea. Raul was killed on impact, and Jones and McHale swam out of the sinking vessel.
