De Havilland DHC-6-200 N37ST
16 March 1995 · Honolulu, Hawaii, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 16 March 1995 at about 13:15 local time, a De Havilland DHC-6-200 registered N37ST was involved in an accident near Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 13:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
- Coordinates
- 21.3496, -157.8797
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-6-200
- Registration
- N37ST
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Ferry
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Oakland → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Bright
- NTSB number
- LAX95LA137
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
Intentional ditching due to the flightcrew's failure to properly manage the fuel system, and operation of the airplane in an excessively overweight condition.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED OVERWEIGHT FOR A 17-HOUR FERRY FLIGHT. EARLY IN THE FLIGHT THE CREW EXPERIENCED SOME FUEL PROBLEMS AND DECIDED TO CONTINUE WHEN THEY RESOLVED THE PROBLEM. THE CREW INDICATED THE EN ROUTE WINDS WERE CLOSE TO FORECAST. THE FERRY FUEL SYSTEM IS A SIMPLE 5-TANK GRAVITY FUEL FEED INTO THE FORE AND AFT MAIN TANKS. ABOUT 6 HOURS FROM DESTINATION, THEY REALIZED THE FERRY TANKS WERE NOT FLOWING INTO THE MAIN TANKS AS PLANNED. THEY BEGAN MANUALLY TRANSFERRING FUEL FROM THE REAR FERRY TANK TO THE FORWARD FERRY TANK, AND SHUT DOWN THE RIGHT ENGINE TO REDUCE FUEL CONSUMPTION. THIS DID NOT STOP THE NEGATIVE FUEL FLOW FROM THE MAIN TANKS. AT THE TIME OF DITCHING, THE CREW ESTIMATED THE FUEL REMAINING IN THE FERRY TANKS WAS ABOUT 170 GALLONS, MOST OF WHICH WAS IN THE 3 AFT FERRY TANKS. AN AERO ENGINEER CALCULATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT LEAST 10 INCHES BEHIND THE MAXIMUM AFT CG AT THE TIME OF DITCHING, AND SUGGESTED THAT THE FERRY FUEL SYSTEM WAS NOT MANAGED TO MAINTAIN THE CG WITHIN THE ALLOWABLE LIMITS, A TASK MADE MORE DIFFICULT WITH THE REAR FUSELAGE CARGO.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other De Havilland DHC-6 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Jul 1995 | De Havilland DHC-6 | Belen, New Mexico, United States | Coronado Skydiving Center | Fatal | 1 |
| 27 Apr 1996 | De Havilland DHC-6 | Raeford, North Carolina, United States | Freefall Express | Fatal | 1 |
| 22 Aug 1994 | De Havilland DHC-6-300 | McCall, Idaho, United States | U.s. Forest Service | Unknown | - |
| 9 Mar 1996 | De Havilland DHC-6-200 | Bagua, Peru | Carson Services Inc. | Fatal | 3 |
| 23 Jul 1997 | De Havilland DHC-6-200 | Sussex, New Jersey, United States | Skys the Limit | No injuries | - |
| 13 Apr 1997 | De Havilland DHC-6-300 | Hilo, Hawaii, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Mar 1995 | Cessna 310Q | Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Jul 1995 | McDonnell Douglas 369D | Hauula, Hawaii, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 23 Sep 1995 | Cessna 150L | Kona, Hawaii, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Sep 1995 | McDonnell Douglas 369D | Pearl City, Hawaii, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 12 Oct 1995 | Hughes 369HS | Hana, Hawaii, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Dec 1995 | Emroth Emair MA-1B | Pahala, Hawaii, United States | - | No injuries | - |