De Havilland DHC-6-100 N157KM

Summary

On 8 March 2011 at about 16:40 local time, a De Havilland DHC-6-100 registered N157KM, operated by Desert Sand Aircraft Leasing Company Inc., was involved in an accident near Hampton, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 March 2011 at 16:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Hampton, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Clayton County (4A7)

Coordinates

33.3792, -84.3506

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC-6-100

Registration

N157KM

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Desert Sand Aircraft Leasing Company Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hampton → Hampton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11FA183

2 people died.

The pilot did not maintain airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane had not been flown for about 5 months and the purpose of the accident flight was a maintenance test flight after both engines had been replaced with higher horsepower models. Witnesses observed the airplane depart and complete two uneventful touch-and-go landings. The airplane was then observed to be struggling to gain altitude and airspeed while maneuvering in the traffic pattern. One witness, who was an aircraft mechanic, reported that he observed the airplane yawing to the left and heard noises associated with propeller pitch changes, which he believed were consistent with the "Beta" range. The airplane stalled and impacted trees in a wooded marsh area, about 1 mile from the airport. It came to rest about 80-degrees vertically. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions; however, the lack of flight recorders and the condition of the wreckage precluded the gathering of additional relevant information. Damage observed to both engines and both propellers revealed they were likely operating at symmetrical power settings and blade angles at the time of the impact, with any differences in scoring signatures likely the result of impact damage. The reason for the yawing and the noise associated with propeller pitch changes that were reported prior to the stall could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.