De Havilland DHC-2 MK.I N218RD

Summary

On 22 May 2021 at about 23:30 local time, a De Havilland DHC-2 MK.I registered N218RD was involved in an accident near Oak Island, Minnesota, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 May 2021 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Oak Island, Minnesota, United States

Coordinates

49.3148, -94.8573

Aircraft

De Havilland DHC-2 MK.I

Registration

N218RD

Category

Airplane

Year built

1949

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Warroad → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN21LA244

1 person was seriously injured.

The failure of an O-ring in the landing gear system, which resulted in the inadvertent extension of the main wheel in the amphibious float. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s decision to depart with a known hydraulic leak in the landing gear system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Before the flight, the pilot added hydraulic fluid to the reservoir due to a known leak in the airplane’s amphibious float landing gear system. At some point during the flight, the left rear wheel extended and protruded from the float. The pilot was unaware of the wheel position and landed on the water near his residence. During the water landing, the wheel contacted the water, and the airplane’s nose and propeller assembly immediately went into the water. The pilot and passengers exited the airplane, and the airplane subsequently flipped over. During the accident sequence, one passenger sustained vertebrae fractures, and the airplane sustained minor damage. Due to the remote accident location, the airplane was not examined; however, the pilot provided photos of the landing gear system problem area and a short video demonstrating the leak in the system. According to the pilot, the leak was the result of a failed O-ring in the lower hydraulic fitting on the jack assembly.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.