A de Havilland Canada DHC-3T Texas Turbine Otter crashed during takeoff from runway 25 at Soldotna Airport, AK (SXQ), killing all ten on board. The plane crashed with its right wing down and nose low and came to rest 2,320 feet from the threshold of the runway, in a grassy area 154 feet to the right of the runway centreline. A fire destroyed much of the aircraft. A video taken by one of the passengers during takeoff was analysed by investigators. Speed started declining as soon as the airplane took off and the angle of attack increased. The airplane stalled at an altitude of 120 feet at a speed of about 44 mph. Baggage that was recovered after the accident weighed 613 lbs (278 kg) in total. The load manifest listed a total cargo weight of 300 lbs (136 kg), based on an estimate made by the operator of the lodge where the passengers were headed. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The operator’s failure to determine the actual cargo weight, leading to the loading and operation of the airplane outside of the weight and center of gravity limits contained in the airplane flight manual, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall. Contributing to the accident was the Federal Aviation Administration’s failure to require weight and balance documentation for each flight in 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 single-engine operations.”