Narrative:
A de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter airplane was destroyed when it crashed into a steep snow- and ice-covered mountain slope at 13,000 feet 3960 metres) asl in the Queen Alexandra range in Antarctica. All three crew members were killed.
The airplane operated on a VFR repositioning flight from Amundsen-Scott Station to the Zucchelli Station at Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. There was a solid cloud cover in the area and the crews view of Mount Elizabeth was likely to have been obscured. The crew probably received a terrain warning 45 seconds before impact. A climb was initiated, but aircraft climb performance was not sufficient to avoid the terrain.
Search and rescue workers made visual contact with the plane's crash site late at night on January 25.
Findings as to causes and contributing factors:
The crew of C-GKBC made a turn prior to reaching the open region of the Ross Shelf. The aircraft might have entered an area covered by cloud that ultimately led to the aircraft contacting the rising terrain of Mount Elizabeth.
» CBC
» CADORS
» TSB
» SKYbrary
accident date: 23-01-2013
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
registration: C-GKBC
accident date: 23-01-2013
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
registration: C-GKBC
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Wednesday 23 January 2013 |
| Time: | 22:01 |
| Type: |  de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 |
| Operator: | Kenn Borek Air |
| Registration: | C-GKBC |
| MSN: | 650 |
| First flight: | 1979-11-13 (33 years 3 months) |
| Total airframe hrs: | 28200 |
| Engines: | 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Aircraft fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Mount Elizabeth ( Antarctica)
|
| Crash site elevation: | 3960 m (12992 feet) amsl |
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | South Pole-Amundsen-Scott Station, Antarctica |
| Terra Nova Bay-Zucchelli Station, Antarctica |
A de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter airplane was destroyed when it crashed into a steep snow- and ice-covered mountain slope at 13,000 feet 3960 metres) asl in the Queen Alexandra range in Antarctica. All three crew members were killed.
The airplane operated on a VFR repositioning flight from Amundsen-Scott Station to the Zucchelli Station at Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. There was a solid cloud cover in the area and the crews view of Mount Elizabeth was likely to have been obscured. The crew probably received a terrain warning 45 seconds before impact. A climb was initiated, but aircraft climb performance was not sufficient to avoid the terrain.
Search and rescue workers made visual contact with the plane's crash site late at night on January 25.
Probable Cause:
Findings as to causes and contributing factors:
The crew of C-GKBC made a turn prior to reaching the open region of the Ross Shelf. The aircraft might have entered an area covered by cloud that ultimately led to the aircraft contacting the rising terrain of Mount Elizabeth.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain
Sources:
» Maritime New Zealand» CBC
» CADORS
» TSB
» SKYbrary
Photos
accident date: 23-01-2013
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
registration: C-GKBC
accident date: 23-01-2013
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
registration: C-GKBC
Aircraft history
| date | registration | operator | remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 NOV 1979 | C-GKBC | de Havilland Canada | first flight |
| 30 NOV 1979 | C-GKBC | Kenn Borek Air | delivered |
| 19 FEB 1980 | N55921 | ARAMCO | leased |
| NOV 1983 | N55921 | Empire Airways | leased |
| JAN 1990 | N55921 | Empire Airlines | new name |
| 06 JAN 1992 | C-GKBC | Kenn Borek Air | returned |
| 22 MAY 1993 | C-GKBC | Harbour Air | leased |
| OCT 1993 | C-GKBC | Kenn Borek Air | returned |
| 13 MAY 1996 | C-GKBC | Harbour Air | leased |
| OCT 1996 | C-GKBC | Kenn Borek Air | returned |
| APR 1997 | C-GKBC | Harbour Air | leased |
| OCT 1997 | C-GKBC | Kenn Borek Air | returned |
| 15 SEP 2004 | C-GKBC | Maldivian Air Taxi | leased |
| 15 JAN 2005 | C-GKBC | Kenn Borek Air | returned |
| 12 APR 2010 | C-GKBC | Kenn Borek Air | settled back to terrain on take-off, sustaining substantial damage to the nosegear and fuselage |
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from South Pole-Amundsen-Scott Station to Terra Nova Bay-Zucchelli Station as the crow flies is 2238 km (1399 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
Distance from South Pole-Amundsen-Scott Station to Terra Nova Bay-Zucchelli Station as the crow flies is 2238 km (1399 miles).
Accident location: Exact; as reported in the official accident report.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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