Incident Overview
Date: Wednesday 11 May 1966
Aircraft Type: Douglas R4D-5 (DC-3)
Owner/operator: Polynesian Airlines
Registration Number: 5W-FAB
Location: Apolima Strait –
ÿ Samoa
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Component Affected: The air-stair door.The air-stair door.
Category: Accident
A DC-3 aircraft, en route to Faleolo for a training flight, experienced a catastrophic event during descent. A door separating from the aircraft struck the tail, leading to loss of control and a subsequent crash into the sea.A DC-3 aircraft, en route to Faleolo for a training flight, experienced a catastrophic event during descent. A door separating from the aircraft struck the tail, leading to loss of control and a subsequent crash into the sea.
Description
The DC-3 left Faleolo at 17:45 for a training flight. While descending back for Faleolo, a door was seen to separate from the aircraft, striking the tail. The DC-3 lost control and crashed into the sea. PROBABLE CAUSE: “The in-flight opening and separation from the structure of the air-stair door which struck the aircraft’s tail and so damaged it that uncontrollable pitch-down of the nose resulted in the aircraft diving into the sea.”
Primary Cause
The in-flight opening and separation from the structure of the air-stair door which struck the aircraft’s tail and so damaged it that uncontrollable pitch-down of the nose resulted in the aircraft diving into the sea.The in-flight opening and separation from the structure of the air-stair door which struck the aircraft’s tail and so damaged it that uncontrollable pitch-down of the nose resulted in the aircraft diving into the sea.Share on:
