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Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 near Bétérou

Date & Time: Feb 24, 1983
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator:
Registration:
TY-BBL
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
737
YOM:
1981
Location:
Bétérou
Borgou
Country:
Benin
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Crashed in unknown circumstances in Koko, in the region of Bétérou. There were no casualties.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 in Hailey

Date & Time: Feb 15, 1983 at 1102 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator:
Registration:
N361V
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Boise - Hailey
MSN:
361
YOM:
1973
Flight number:
SPA868
Location:
Hailey-Friedman Memorial
Idaho
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
12000
Captain / Total hours on type:
1000.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
275
Copilot / Total hours on type:
100
Aircraft flight hours:
4767
Circumstances:
About 1100 mst, on February 15,1983, a Sierra Pacific Airlines DHC-6, operating as Transwestern Flight 868, crashed during its final approach to a landing on runway 31, 1.7 mile south of the Friedman Memorial Airport at Hailey, Idaho. Flight 868 was a regularly scheduled commuter passenger flight between Boise and Hailey, Idaho. There were two flightcrew members and six passengers on board the flight. One passenger escaped with minor injuries, but all the other occupants sustained serious injuries in the accident. There was no fire. About 800 feet above the small town of Bellevue, 2 miles south of the airport, the captain reduced power in order to configure the airplane for its final approach. Immediately afterward, the captain realized that he had lost eleva control of the airplane. The airplane nosed over and descended steeply. The captain attempted to control the pitch of the airplane by adding power; it began to recover but it crash landed on a highway in a slight nosedown attitude, with the right wing slightly down The airplane then veered off the highway, struck a 4-foot-high snowbank, and broke apart.
Probable cause:
The in-flight loss of elevator control following separation of the control rod from the torque tube at a connection where the company's maintenance department had used a non-standard, unsecured bolt, which the company's inspection department had failed to detect. Contributing to the accident was the company's failure to maintain the separation of maintenance and inspection functions required by the maintenance program approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, and the failure of the FAA to detect the company's deviation from approved maintenance procedures during surveillance inspection.
Final Report:

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 in Libya

Date & Time: Dec 31, 1982
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator:
Libyan Government
Registration:
5A-DCW
Flight Type:
Government
Survivors:
Yes
MSN:
639
YOM:
1979
Location:
Libya
All Libya
Country:
Libya
Region:
Africa
Crew on board:
0
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
Suffered an accident somewhere in Libya in 1982. Exact date unknown. The aircraft was operated by the Libyan Ministry for Agriculture.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 near Quetame: 22 killed

Date & Time: Nov 29, 1982
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator:
Registration:
HK-2536
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
San José del Guaviare - Bogotá
MSN:
713
YOM:
1980
Flight number:
VX189
Location:
Quetame
Cundinamarca
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
20
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
22
Circumstances:
While cruising under VFR mode in poor weather conditions, the aircraft struck the slope of a mountain located near Quetame. The aircraft was destroyed upon impact and all 22 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain after the crew decided to continue under VFR mode into adverse weather conditions (IMC). En route navigation errors on part of the crew and inadequate training procedures were considered as contributing factors.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter in Mindat: 8 killed

Date & Time: Aug 12, 1982
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator:
Registration:
XY-AEB
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
MSN:
501
YOM:
1976
Location:
Mindat
Chin State
Country:
Myanmar
Region:
Asia
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
En route, weather conditions deteriorated with thunderstorm activity and heavy rain falls. While cruising in clouds, the twin engine airplane struck the slope of a mountain near Mindat. All eight occupants were killed.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 200 in Hooper Bay

Date & Time: May 16, 1982 at 1015 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator:
Registration:
N103AQ
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Bethel - Chevak - Scammon Bay - Hooper Bay
MSN:
183
YOM:
1968
Flight number:
GFF517
Location:
Hooper Bay
Alaska
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
4550
Captain / Total hours on type:
1990.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1850
Copilot / Total hours on type:
300
Aircraft flight hours:
15267
Circumstances:
The aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Hooper Bay, Alaska. The airplane crashed 1,320 feet short of the threshold of runway 13 during an approach in visual meteorological conditions. The airplane was substantially damaged when it crashed onto hard-packed snow and ice about 700 feet from the edge of the Bering Sea. There was no fire. The two pilots and six passengers sustained serious injuries in the accident.
Probable cause:
The National Transportation Safety Beard determines that the probable cause of this accident was the flightcrew's failure to compute and properly interpret the airplane's weight and balance and their operation of the airplane with the center of gravity substantially aft of its authorized limit which resulted in loss of control of the airplane during a landing attempt.
Final Report:

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 near the North Pole

Date & Time: May 9, 1982
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator:
Registration:
C-GKBO
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
MSN:
547
YOM:
1977
Location:
Arctic
All World
Country:
World
Region:
World
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
7
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
After landing on an icy area located near the North Pole, one of the ski went through the ice and the airplane came to rest. All nine occupants, among them seven tourists, evacuated the cabin safely. The aircraft later sank and was lost.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 near Gamvik: 15 killed

Date & Time: Mar 11, 1982 at 1327 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator:
Registration:
LN-BNK
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Kirkenes – Vadsø – Vardø – Båtsfjord – Berlevåg – Mehamn – Honningsvåg – Alta
MSN:
568
YOM:
1977
Flight number:
WF933
Location:
Gamvik
Finnmark
Country:
Norway
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
13
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
15
Captain / Total flying hours:
8474
Captain / Total hours on type:
5011.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
1830
Copilot / Total hours on type:
918
Aircraft flight hours:
9925
Aircraft flight cycles:
20953
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane departed Kirkenes on a regular schedule service (flight WF933) to Alta with intermediate stops in Vadsø, Vardø, Båtsfjord, Berlevåg, Mehamn and Honningsvåg. The aircraft departed Berlevåg Airport at 1319LT and the crew reported to Mehamn Aerodrome Flight Information Service (AFIS) at 1322 that he was at an altitude of 2,000 feet over the Tanafjord with an ETA in Mehamn at 1333LT. Mehamn AFIS called flight 933 at 1335 but did not receive any answer. As the aircraft failed to arrive in Mehamn, SAR operations were initiated. The wreckage was located two days later in the Tanafjord mouth, at a depth of 40 meters, about 6 km southeast of Gamvik. All 15 occupants were killed.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, it is believed that the accident was the consequence of a loss of control in-flight after the vertical stabilizer failed due to the combination of altitude turbulences, strong winds, unfavorable atmospheric currents and inappropriate reaction on part of the flying crew.

The accident occurred during a NATO military exercise, within a self-declared no-fly zone for allied military aircraft. A report in 1987 that radar had observed an unidentified aircraft which was on a collision course with the Twin Otter caused a second investigation to be started. It was concluded that the existence of other aircraft in the area could be ruled out; and that no other airborne objects could have caused the accident. The debate about the accident resurfaced in 1997 when several sources claimed there was new or overlooked evidence of the involvement of NATO aircraft. The Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN) decided in 1997 to investigate the new claims and concluded that there was no evidence to support these claims. The accident was ordered investigated again in November 2002 after a retired Norwegian air traffic controller said one of the Harrier pilots, involved in a mission about the time of the accident, had requested an immediate landing because of technical problems. The report was published on 20 September 2005. It fully supported the findings of all three previous reports and found no evidence for an impact with a Harrier or any other aircraft.
Final Report:

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 near Providence: 1 killed

Date & Time: Feb 21, 1982 at 1533 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator:
Registration:
N127PM
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Groton - Boston
MSN:
105
YOM:
1968
Flight number:
PM458
Location:
Providence
Rhode Island
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
10
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Captain / Total flying hours:
6500
Captain / Total hours on type:
2700.00
Copilot / Total flying hours:
2100
Copilot / Total hours on type:
400
Aircraft flight hours:
27015
Circumstances:
At 4,000 feet light icing on the windshield was noted, and the deicing system was activated. After two cycles of deicing, alcohol was smelled in the cockpit, and smoke was coming up from the control yoke. An emergency landing was attempted at Providence, RI, but smoke and flames forced the crew to land on 10-12 inch thick ice on a reservoir. By then, heavy black smoke poured in the cockpit and fire was seen. Upon landing, the left main gear collapsed and the right wing was sheared off. Eleven occupants escaped and were injured while a passenger was killed.
Probable cause:
The deficient design of the isopropyl alcohol windshield washer/deicer system and the inadequate maintenance of the system which resulted in an in-flight fire. The ignition source of the fire was not determined.
Final Report:

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 in San Antero: 13 killed

Date & Time: Dec 18, 1981 at 1306 LT
Type of aircraft:
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
Operator:
Registration:
HK-2216
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Medellín – Coveñas
MSN:
609
YOM:
1979
Location:
San Antero
Córdoba
Country:
Colombia
Region:
South America
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
11
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
13
Circumstances:
While approaching Coveñas Airport on a flight from Medellín, the twin engine airplane struck a hill and crashed near San Antero, about 7 km southwest of runway 06 threshold. The aircraft was destroyed and all 13 occupants were killed.
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