NTSB: Single piece of equipment caused deadly float plane crash near Whidbey Island
Federal investigators say a failure of a single piece of equipment caused last Labor Day’s deadly float plane crash near Whidbey Island.
On Sept. 5, 2022, nine passengers and a pilot were killed when the de Havilland DHC-3 Otter plunged into Puget Sound.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) official report, the pitch control – which allows the pilot to fly the plane up or down – became unscrewed from the rest of the tail assembly.
That sent the plane plummeting out of the sky at more than 100 miles per hour.
The NTSB pulled around 85% of the aircraft up off the ocean floor.
Based on that preliminary examination of the wreckage, the NTSB sent out an urgent recommendation to all DHC-3 operators to install a backup locking device on the pitch control.
The families of the passenger and the pilot have all filed lawsuits against the aircraft maker, and the float plane operator – seeking unspecified monetary damages for the loss of their loved ones.