Narrative:
A DHC-6 Twin Otter skydiving plane was destroyed when it crashed during a local post-maintenance test flight from Clayton County Airport-Tara Field, GA.
The airplane came down in trees and broke up, killing both occupants.
The accident flight was the first flight after both of the airplane's Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20, 550-horsepower engines, were replaced with PT6A-27, 680-horsepower engines. The airplane took off with a pilot and a pilot-rated mechanic on board. Two uneventful touch-and-go landings were completed.
The airplane was then observed flying in the traffic pattern for runway 6. An eyewitness reported that the airplane was "struggling to gain altitude and airspeed." As the airplane turned to line-up with the runway, it "stalled" and descended nose first toward the ground.
The airplane impacted trees in a wooded marsh area, short of the threshold, near the extended centerline of runway 6. The airplane came to rest about 80-degrees vertically and canted about 25-degrees on the right wing.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The pilot did not maintain airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall."
accident date: 08-03-2011
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100
registration: N157KM
accident date: 08-03-2011
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100
registration: N157KM
accident date: 08-03-2011
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100
registration: N157KM
accident date: 08-03-2011
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100
registration: N157KM
accident date: 08-03-2011
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100
registration: N157KM
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Tuesday 8 March 2011 |
| Time: | 11:40 |
| Type: |  de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100 |
| Operator: | Desert Sand Aircraft Leasing |
| Registration: | N157KM |
| MSN: | 57 |
| First flight: | 1967 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 16541 |
| Cycles: | 20927 |
| Engines: | 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | 1,3 km (0.8 mls) SW of Clayton County Airport-Tara Field, GA ( United States of America)
|
| Phase: | Approach (APR) |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | Clayton County Airport-Tara Field, GA, United States of America |
| Clayton County Airport-Tara Field, GA, United States of America |
A DHC-6 Twin Otter skydiving plane was destroyed when it crashed during a local post-maintenance test flight from Clayton County Airport-Tara Field, GA.
The airplane came down in trees and broke up, killing both occupants.
The accident flight was the first flight after both of the airplane's Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20, 550-horsepower engines, were replaced with PT6A-27, 680-horsepower engines. The airplane took off with a pilot and a pilot-rated mechanic on board. Two uneventful touch-and-go landings were completed.
The airplane was then observed flying in the traffic pattern for runway 6. An eyewitness reported that the airplane was "struggling to gain altitude and airspeed." As the airplane turned to line-up with the runway, it "stalled" and descended nose first toward the ground.
The airplane impacted trees in a wooded marsh area, short of the threshold, near the extended centerline of runway 6. The airplane came to rest about 80-degrees vertically and canted about 25-degrees on the right wing.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The pilot did not maintain airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
Loss of control
Sources:
» NTSBPhotos
accident date: 08-03-2011
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100
registration: N157KM
accident date: 08-03-2011
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100
registration: N157KM
accident date: 08-03-2011
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100
registration: N157KM
accident date: 08-03-2011
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100
registration: N157KM
accident date: 08-03-2011
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 100
registration: N157KM
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Clayton County Airport-Tara Field, GA to Clayton County Airport-Tara Field, GA as the crow flies is 19884 km (12428 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Clayton County Airport-Tara Field, GA to Clayton County Airport-Tara Field, GA as the crow flies is 19884 km (12428 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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