Can anyone ID the model of the plane that has the accident in this video
(accident appears near the end):

http://www.vimeo.com/4906010

I can't make out the design on the tail, which might indicate the owner or
operator. I'm guessing this happened in western Canada or in Alaska - but I
suppose could have happened a lot of places. I'm curious when and where and
what happened, but the poster of the video provides no details.

I assume the nose wheel raising early indicates attempt at soft-field
takeoff, but things went wrong during acceleration in ground effect?

On Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:27:04 -0500, Jim Logajan > wrote in >:

>Can anyone ID the model of the plane that has the accident in this video
>(accident appears near the end):
>
>http://www.vimeo.com/4906010

Looks to me like a Twin Otter:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Canada_DHC-6_Twin_Otter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Twin_Otter_4_1997-08-02.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TWIN_otter.jpg

Another version of the video calls it a Twin Otter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0DEb0M6wt4

>I can't make out the design on the tail, which might indicate the owner or
>operator. I'm guessing this happened in western Canada or in Alaska - but I
>suppose could have happened a lot of places. I'm curious when and where and
>what happened, but the poster of the video provides no details.

>I assume the nose wheel raising early indicates attempt at soft-field
>takeoff, but things went wrong during acceleration in ground effect?

Maybe high altitude, too? It looks to me as though the
terrain drops away on the other side of the road.

+++++++++++

Maybe an imprudent turn with insufficient altitude and airspeed:
<http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:dXhHxY2O4WkJ:gimliglider.com/2009/05/28/air-disaster-video-captured-on-cam-by-witness-twin-otter-aircraft-in-bc-canada-stalls-crashes-right-after-take-off/+%22twin+otter%22+crash+%22british+columbia%22&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us>

According to investigators, on July [8], 2007, the pilot-in-command
of this Twin Otter aircraft was trying to avoid a high tensile-wire
telephone line by turning the aircraft prematurely to the right
during taking off from a gravel airstrip 250 km northwest of Fort
Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.

As a result the stall occurred at a dangerously low altitude and
crashed. There were 5 souls on board, of which two were pilots, one
elderly man who subsequently died, a teenager and a female
passenger. The pilots and the teenager were taken to the hospital
with non life-threatening injuries while the female passenger
luckily escaped unharmed.

[Date corrected. The accident took place on July 8.]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2007/07/09/bc-crash.html

A picture of the accident aircraft on a happier day:

<http://www.airlinefan.com/airline-photos/1626010/Liard-Air-LTD./De-Havilland-Canada/DHC-6-Twin-Otter/C-FAWC/>

C-FAWC

Liard Air LTD.

More pix:

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/axel_j/3713920525/>

<http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?regsearch=C-FAWC>

<http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/085906.html>

Flight Safety Foundation details, with video:

<http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20070708-0>

Still searching for a final disposition by Canadian TSB ...

Marty
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>On Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:27:04 -0500, Jim Logajan > wrote in >:

>>Can anyone ID the model of the plane that has the accident in this video
>>(accident appears near the end):

>>http://www.vimeo.com/4906010

Another photo of the accident aircraft on the gravel airstrip
in Muncho Lake:

<http://www.airliners.net/photo/Liard-Air/De-Havilland-Canada/0270323/&sid=c039a8407ce38e2b5e995b18ebb19352>

This fellow claims it was the home base for Liard Air:

<http://www.airlinefan.com/airline-photos/airline/1364/Liard-Air-LTD./>

C-FAWC on the airstrip:

<http://www.airliners.net/photo/Liard-Air/De-Havilland-Canada/0270322&tbl=photo_info+pi&photo_nr=3&sok=+%28pi.place+%3D+%27Muncho+Lake%27%29+&sort=_order_by_photo_id_DESC_&prev_id=0270323&next_id=NEXTID>

The photo or painting that was on the vertical stab is on this page as well:

http://www.northernrockieslodge.com/

Got the TSB Canada number for the incident: A07W0128.

And here's the TSB report:

<http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/download/file.php?id=2071>

Sad and fascinating reading.

The short story:

Findings as to Causes and Contributing Factors

1. The take-off was attempted at an aircraft weight that did not
meet the performance capabilities of the aircraft to clear an
obstacle and, as a result, the aircraft struck a telephone pole and
a telephone cable during the initial climb.

2. A take-off and climb to 50 feet performance calculation was not
completed prior to take-off; therefore, the flight crew was unaware
of the distance required to clear the telephone cable.

3. The southeast end of the airstrip was not clearly marked; as a
result, the take-off was initiated with approximately 86 feet of
usable airstrip behind the aircraft.

4. The take-off was attempted in an upslope direction and in light
tailwind, both of which increased the distance necessary to clear
the existing obstacles.

Marty
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"Martin X. Moleski, SJ" > wrote:
> On Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:27:04 -0500, Jim Logajan >
> wrote in >:
>
>>Can anyone ID the model of the plane that has the accident in this
>>video (accident appears near the end):
>>
>>http://www.vimeo.com/4906010
>
> Looks to me like a Twin Otter:

Thanks Martin - quick and thorough work!

> Another version of the video calls it a Twin Otter:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0DEb0M6wt4

I came across the video on Vimeo but not knowing the make I couldn't find
if it was also on Youtube. So many plane crash videos there. :-(

> Maybe high altitude, too? It looks to me as though the
> terrain drops away on the other side of the road.

Hmmm - maybe. Muncho Lake is around 2700 ft. Accident was in the summer -
high density altitude possibly a contributing factor. But check the
comments in the forum link I give below.

> Flight Safety Foundation details, with video:
>
> <http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20070708-0>
>
> Still searching for a final disposition by Canadian TSB ...

Found this thread where this accident has been discussed (and points to
earlier threads):

http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=56633

One post that was made just a few weeks ago claims TSB released the
report but they hadn't been posted to their web site.

Side note: my wife and I traveled the Alaska highway a few years back and
drove by Muncho Lake - probably not far from where that airplane crashed.
Scenic landscapes for sure.

"Martin X. Moleski, SJ" > wrote:
> Got the TSB Canada number for the incident: A07W0128.
>
> And here's the TSB report:
>
> <http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/download/file.php?id=2071>
>
> Sad and fascinating reading.

Indeed.

I do recall seeing that airfield the one time we passed through the area.

>
> The short story:
>
> Findings as to Causes and Contributing Factors
>
> 1. The take-off was attempted at an aircraft weight that did not
> meet the performance capabilities of the aircraft to clear an
> obstacle and, as a result, the aircraft struck a telephone pole and
> a telephone cable during the initial climb.
>
> 2. A take-off and climb to 50 feet performance calculation was not
> completed prior to take-off; therefore, the flight crew was unaware
> of the distance required to clear the telephone cable.
>
> 3. The southeast end of the airstrip was not clearly marked; as a
> result, the take-off was initiated with approximately 86 feet of
> usable airstrip behind the aircraft.
>
> 4. The take-off was attempted in an upslope direction and in light
> tailwind, both of which increased the distance necessary to clear
> the existing obstacles.
>
> Marty

On Fri, 21 Aug 2009 21:34:45 -0500, Jim Logajan > wrote in >:

>> Maybe high altitude, too? It looks to me as though the
>> terrain drops away on the other side of the road.

>Hmmm - maybe. Muncho Lake is around 2700 ft. Accident was in the summer -
>high density altitude possibly a contributing factor.

High-weight takeoffs had worked in cooler temps and with
more favorable winds, according to the company logs.

>But check the
>comments in the forum link I give below.

>Found this thread where this accident has been discussed (and points to
>earlier threads):

>http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=56633

Yes. That's the forum that had the report in it as an attachment.
Different thread:

<http://www.avcanada.ca/forums2/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=43761&start=0>

>One post that was made just a few weeks ago claims TSB released the
>report but they hadn't been posted to their web site.

That's how it looked to me, too. The accident doesn't show up
in their listing by year:

http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2007/index.asp

I couldn't find any other search engine for TSB Canada, either.

>Side note: my wife and I traveled the Alaska highway a few years back and
>drove by Muncho Lake - probably not far from where that airplane crashed.
>Scenic landscapes for sure.

The road between the lodge and the accident airstrip IS the Alaska highway.
You drove right by it, apparently.

"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."

A very, very sad accident. High-time pilots but relatively new
to the Otter and to Liard. Long, convoluted accident chain ...

Marty
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