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Too heavy, the DHC-6 Twin Otter lacks of performance after takeoff and crashes

This is a good lesson learnt showing how important it is to perform the takeoff performance calculation. This DHC-6-100 Twin Otter crashed on takeoff from the gravel airstrip at Muncho Lake, BC, Canada, on July 8th 2007. A post-impact fire erupted and the airplane was destroyed. 5 persons were onboard. One passenger was killed. Two pilots and two passengers survived the accident.
The take-off was attempted at an aircraft weight that did not meet the performance capabilities of the aircraft to clear an obstacle and, as a result, the aircraft struck a telephone pole and a telephone cable during the initial climb. And as the performance calculations were not done prior takeoff, the flight crew was unaware of the distance required to clear the telephone cable.

Comments

Jesse Mcleod
Fort St John (Canada)
its kind of a bad spot on the highweay there with unseen traffic appearing on that portion, Its dumb like you say because WHY DIDNT THE PILOT/PILOTS DUE THEIR DUTY AS A PILOT AND COMPLETE THEIR PROPER BEFORE FLIGHT CHECKLISTS INCLUDING WEIGHT . This death is in vain. Ill be landing there in the next couple months maybe ill post some pics.
29th April, 2023
Carl Hackert
Saratoga Springs, Ny (Usa)
Stupid! Why didn't the pilot use the paved road adjacent to the so-called "runway", at best described as a rough poorly prepared surface? In such a remote part of the world, it would not have mattered if they taken off from a road and, probably, there would not have been an accident and the loss of life, injuries and destruction of a perfectly good aircraft. When the wingtip struck the rocky surface at rotation they were doomed...
4th October, 2019