De Havilland DHC-6-100 N121PM
9 December 1990 · Perris Valley, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 9 December 1990 at about 22:00 local time, a De Havilland DHC-6-100 registered N121PM, operated by One Papa Mike Corp., was involved in an accident near Perris Valley, California, United States. 21 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Perris Valley, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Perris Valley (L65)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-6-100
- Registration
- N121PM
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- One Papa Mike Corp.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX91FA052
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
Probable cause
A LOSS OF POWER ON THE LEFT ENGINE DUE TO A FATIGUE FAILURE OF A COMPRESSOR TURBINE BLADE LEADING TO FURTHER COMPRESSOR BLADE DAMAGE; A WORN POWER TURBINE GOVERNOR THROTTLE CAM ASSEMBLY WHICH LED TO LOSS OF POWER ON THE RIGHT ENGINE; AND INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION BY THE OPERATOR.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AFTER LIFT-OFF, AT ABOUT 100 FT AGL AND 85 KTS, THE LEFT ENG DECELERATED AND THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO YAW AND ROLL LEFT. THE PIC ABORTED THE TAKEOFF, TURNED LEFT AND LANDED ON A FLAT LEVEL FIELD. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK A FENCE, THEN TREES. EXAMINATION OF THE LEFT ENG REVEALED THE LOSS OF POWER WAS ATTRIBUTED TO A FATIGUE FRACTURE OF A COMPRESSOR TURBINE BLADE, WHICH LED TO SUBSEQUENT BLADE FRACTURES. THE RIGHT ENG WAS EXAMINED AND FOUND TO HAVE ADVANCE WEAR ON THE THROTTLE CAM ASSEMBLY OF THE POWER TURBINE GOVERNOR. IN A TEST CELL, ONLY APRX 28% OF TAKEOFF POWER COULD BE ACHIEVED. THE CAM LOBE WEAR HAD PROGRESSED OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. THE RIGHT ENGINE PROP GOVERNOR WAS REPLACED 11/18/90, FOLLOWED BY A TEST RUN.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other De Havilland DHC-6 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Mar 1990 | De Havilland DHC-6 | Chevak, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 1989 | De Havilland DHC-6-300 | Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 10 |
| 29 Oct 1989 | De Havilland DHC-6-300 | Halawa, Molokai, Hawaii, United States | - | Fatal | 20 |
| 19 Sep 1989 | De Havilland DHC-6 | Sleepy Bay, Alaska, United States | Sound Adventures | No injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 1989 | De Havilland DHC-6-100 | Barrow, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Oct 1991 | De Havilland DHC-6 | Chevak, Alaska, United States | Markair Express Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |