![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The pilot and all nine passengers were killed. The seaplane crashed into Puget Sound just off Whidbey Island about half an hour into a flight from Friday Harbor to Renton. This component coming apart “during flight would result in a free-floating horizontal stabilizer, allowing it to rotate uncontrollably … about its hinge, resulting in a possible loss of airplane control,” the NTSB update said. The component that NTSB investigators found had come apart is an actuator that swivels the horizontal tail - also called the stabilizer - to control the pitch of the airplane.Ī cable from the cockpit wraps around the barrel of the actuator, providing the mechanical connection between the stabilizer and the pilot. Kenmore Air, with all its Otters having already passed inspection, on Monday afternoon was offering tickets for a scenic tour of the San Juan Islands aboard an Otter from its Lake Washington base. “The FAA will take appropriate action based on the manufacturer’s service bulletin and any associated actions from the Canadian authorities,” the statement said. In a statement, the FAA said the agency is in close communication with Transport Canada, which certified the Otter, and Viking Air. The NTSB is working with Viking Air of Canada, which took control of the Otter’s maintenance and certification requirements, on a service bulletin that will go out to all operators of the airplane with detailed inspection instructions.ĭoug Brazy, the NTSB investigator in charge of the Whidbey crash, said he expects that letter to be sent out “sometime this week” and that it will likely have urgent wording recommending that the inspections be completed before further flight. Today, only 65 Otters remain flying in the U.S. It was first built in the 1950s and a total of 466 were produced through 1967. This aircraft is an aging workhorse of the Puget Sound air transportation system that routinely flies tourists and commuters to the San Juan islands and Canada. The DHC-3 Otter that crashed was operated by Renton-based Friday Harbor Seaplanes. Homendy said the agency issued its investigation update to get the word out to all companies flying the Otter to “make sure that they are inspected immediately before they operate these planes again.” All inspections were then quickly completed without a break in service, he said. The detail in the NTSB update strongly suggests a possible maintenance oversight.ĭavid Gudgel, chief operating officer of local operator Kenmore Air, said his company was made aware of the vulnerability last week and immediately grounded its fleet of 10 Otters. Its failure could lead to loss of control and send a plane into a nose dive, which is what dozens of witnesses reported seeing. In a lab examination last week, the NTSB determined the part had come apart before impact. When investigators examined the wreckage of the crashed plane, they found that a critical component that moves the plane’s horizontal tail had come apart. That authority resides with the Federal Aviation Administration, which has not yet issued a directive. However, the NTSB cannot order the grounding of the de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter turboprops. “Right now, the focus has to be what could contribute to a further tragedy in the future.” “We’re concerned that another plane could crash as a result of something similar,” said Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the Sept. border said Monday that its experts have identified a potential cause of the deadly accident and called for similar planes to be grounded until they are inspected. The federal agency investigating the September seaplane crash in waters just south of the B.C. ![]()
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