De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter

Shortly after takeoff from Comodoro Rivadavia Airport, while climbing, the crew encountered an unexpected situation and was forced to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in a desert area located about 10 km from the airport. While all six occupants escaped uninjured, the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The crew departed Punia on a ferry flight to Goma. About 10 minutes into the flight, while cruising at a relative low altitude, the aircraft collided with power lines. The crew attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed in the Lowa River located about 30 km northeast of Punia, coming to rest upside down. Both pilots escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

On Thursday 9 August 2007, the DHC-6 aeroplane registered F-OIQI was scheduled to fly a public transport flight (QE1121) between Moorea and Tahiti Faa’a with a pilot and 19 passengers on board. The flight, with an average duration of 7 minutes, is performed under VFR at a planned cruise altitude of 600 feet. The following information is derived from the on-board audio recording and witness statements. At 21 h 53 min 22, startup was authorised. The pilot made the safety announcement in English and in French: “Ladies and Gentlemen, hello and welcome on board. Please fasten your seatbelts”. At 21 h 57 min 19, the air traffic controller cleared the aeroplane to taxi towards holding point Bravo on runway 12. At 21 h 58 min 10, the aeroplane was cleared to line up. It taxied up the runway and lined up at the level of the second taxiway. At 22 h 00 min 06, the aeroplane was cleared for takeoff. Six seconds later the engines were powered up. At 22 h 00 min 58, the pilot retracted the flaps. At 22 h 01 min 07, propeller speed was reduced. At 22 h 01 min 09 the pilot uttered an expression of surprise. Two GPWS warnings sounded, propeller speed increased and four further GPWS warnings sounded. The aeroplane struck the surface of the sea at 22 h 01 min 20. One minute and eight seconds elapsed between engine power-up and the end of the audio recording. Fourteen bodies were recovered during the rescue operations. Some aeroplane debris, including parts of the right main gear and seat cushions were recovered by fishermen and the rescue team. Some days later, at a depth of seven hundred metres, a fifteenth body was recovered during operations to recover the flight recorder, both engines, the instrument panel, the front part of the cockpit including engine and flaps controls, the flaps jackscrews and the tail section. It was noted that the rudder and elevator control cables were broken off in their forward parts and that the elevator pitch-up control cable had, in its aft part, a second failure whose appearance was different from that observed on the other failures that were examined.

At approximately 1235 Pacific daylight time, the Liard Air Limited de Havilland DHC-6-100 Twin Otter (registration C-FAWC, serial number 108) was taking off from a gravel airstrip near the Northern Rockies Lodge at Muncho Lake on a visual flight rules flight to Prince George, British Columbia. After becoming airborne, the aircraft entered a right turn and the right outboard flap hanger contacted the Alaska Highway. The aircraft subsequently struck a telephone pole and a telephone cable, impacted the edge of the highway a second time, and crashed onto a rocky embankment adjacent to a dry creek channel. The aircraft came to rest upright approximately 600 feet from the departure end of the airstrip. An intense post-impact fire ensued and the aircraft was destroyed. One passenger suffered fatal burn injuries, one pilot was seriously burned, the other pilot sustained serious impact injuries, and the other two passengers received minor injuries.

The Twin Otter departed Iquitos Airport at 1137LT on a flight to Pucallpa with intermediate stops in Requena, Orellana, Pampa Hermosa and Contamana. While descending to Pampa Hermosa in marginal weather conditions, the aircraft crashed in a mountainous area located few km from the airport. Seven passengers were rescued while 13 other occupants were killed.

The Twin Otter departed Al-Gorah on a flight to Sainte-Catherine, carrying 8 passengers (among them six membres of the French Air Force) and one Canadian pilot. En route, he contacted ATC and reported technical problems. While attempting an emergency landing, the aircraft collided with a Jordan truck carrying glass and crashed, bursting into flames. Both truck drivers were slightly injured while the aircraft was destroyed and all 9 occupants were killed. The flight was operated by the French Air Force on behalf of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) based in the Sinai area.
French Air Force members killed:
Cptn Laurence Briançon-Forest,
Lt Guillaume Pike,
SgtC Yann Poilly,
SgtC Laurent Pottier,
SgtC Hervé Bouffenie,
Sgt Julien Flégo.

The twin engine aircraft departed Mulia on a special flight to Ilaga, carrying a delegation of nine people flying to Ilaga to visit several districts of the Irian Jaya province on behalf of a talks between several administrations. While cruising at an altitude of 10,500 feet in marginal weather conditions, the aircraft struck Mt Puncak Jaya. The wreckage was found the following day. All 12 occupants were killed.

On July 29, 2006, about 1345 central daylight time, a de Havilland DHC-6-100, N203E, registered to Adventure Aviation, LLC, and operated by Skydive Quantum Leap as a local parachute operations flight, crashed into trees and terrain after takeoff from Sullivan Regional Airport (UUV), near Sullivan, Missouri. The pilot and five parachutists were killed, and two parachutists were seriously injured. The flight was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. According to photographic evidence provided by a witness, the pilot taxied the airplane onto runway 24 from the intersecting taxiway, which is about 1,700 feet from the runway’s west end, and began a takeoff roll to the west from that location, rather than using the runway’s entire 4,500-foot length. Photographic evidence depicting the airport windsock shows that the airplane departed into a moderate headwind. Witnesses at the airport reported seeing the airplane take off and climb to about treetop height. Several witnesses reported hearing a “poof” or “bang” noise and seeing flames and smoke coming from the right engine. One witness reported that, after the noise and the emergence of flames, the right propeller was “just barely turning.” Photographic evidence shows that, at one point after the flames occurred, the airplane was about one wingspan (about 65 feet) above the runway. One witness estimated that the airplane climbed to about 150 feet. Witnesses reported that the airplane lost some altitude, regained it, and then continued to fly low above the treetops before turning to the right and disappearing from their view behind the tree line. Another witness in the backyard of a residence northwest of the airport reported that she saw the airplane flying straight and level but very low over the trees before it dived nose first to the ground. She and her father called 911, and she said that local emergency medical service personnel arrived within minutes. The airplane impacted trees and terrain and came to rest vertically, nose down against a tree behind a residence about 1/2 mile northwest of the end of runway 24.

The twin engine aircraft departed Nepālganj Airport on a domestic service to Jumla with an intermediate stop in Surkhet, carrying six passengers, three crew members and a load consisting of bags containing grains for a total of 941 kilos. While approaching Jumla Airport, the crew was informed that runway 27 was in use with a wind from 240 at 4 knots. For unknown reasons, the captain started the approach to runway 09 at 1201LT. At an excessive speed, he missed the runway, initiated a go-around procedure and passed to the right of the tower. Then, he started a steep turn to the left when the aircraft lost height and speed and crashed in a field located 500 meters east of the airport, bursting into flames. The aircraft was totally destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all 9 occupants were killed.

The twin engine aircraft departed Santo Antonio Airport on a local training flight, carrying four pilots. While on approach to runway 29, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in the sea few km offshore. All four occupants were killed.