De Havilland DHC-6-300 N43SP
21 July 1984 · Tau, American Samoa · Fatal
Summary
On 21 July 1984 at about 17:40 local time, a De Havilland DHC-6-300 registered N43SP, operated by South Pacific Island, was involved in an accident near Tau, American Samoa. 16 people were on board and one died, 5 were seriously injured, 8 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 17:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Tau, American Samoa
- Nearest airport
- Tau (HI36)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-6-300
- Registration
- N43SP
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- South Pacific Island
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Pago Pago, Samoa → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX84FA415
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE ACFT CRASH LANDED AFTER THE PLT USED FLAPS AND POWER TO SEMI-CONTROL PITCH AFTER THE ELEVATOR DOWN CONTROL CABLE FAILED AT ABOUT 300 FT AGL ON FINAL APPROACH. THE LEFT WING OF THE ACFT HIT THE TERMINAL ROOF DURING THE STALL MUSH FROM50 FT AGL. THE COMPANY IS CHANGING THEIR ACFT CONTROL CABLES FROM STEEL TO STAINLESS STEEL TO AID IN THE ANTI-CORROSION AND MODIFYING THEIR INSPECTION PERIOD FROM 800 TO 100 HOURS BETWEEN INSPECTIONS. THE CABLE THAT SEPARATED FAILED FROM CORROSION. NO EVIDENCE OF FATIGUE CRACKING OR MECHANICAL WEAR WAS FOUND. CORROSION PRODUCTS WERE FOUND WITHIN 2 INCHES OF THE SERAPATION ON BOTH CABLE PIECES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other De Havilland DHC-6 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 May 1984 | De Havilland DHC 6-300 | Tau, Manu'a, Hawaii, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Sep 1984 | De Havilland DHC-6-300 | Houston, Texas, United States | Metroflight, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 12 Mar 1985 | De Havilland DHC-6-300 | Barter Island, Alaska, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 1983 | De Havilland DHC-6 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | Precision Airline | No injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 1985 | De Havilland DHC-6-200 | Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States | Mountain Air Cargo | No injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 1983 | De Havilland DHC-6 | McKinney, Texas, United States | David Boatman | Fatal | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jun 1988 | De Havilland DHC-6-100 | Tau, American Samoa | Somoa Aviation | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G5 | American Samoa | Larry Z. Fishing Co. Inc. | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 Sep 1991 | Piper PA-60-602P | Pago Pago, American Samoa | Apollo Air P/L | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1991 | De Havilland DHC6-300 | Nuuuli, American Samoa | Polynesian Airlines | Unknown | - |
| 28 Apr 1993 | Bell 47-G2 | American Samoa | San Diego Fisheries | No injuries | - |
| 30 Nov 2009 | Pilatus Britten-Norman BN-2B-26 | Pago Pago, American Samoa | Inter Island Airways, Inc. | No injuries | - |