DHC-3 operators will be obliged to carry out checks after fatal accident
2022.10.27 16:43
DHC-3 operators will be obliged to carry out checks after fatal accident
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – After a fatal crash that killed ten people last month in Washington state, the Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday that it would get in touch with De Havilland Canada DHC-3 operators in the United States to make sure they do the inspections that the manufacturer recommends.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the United States issued an “urgent safety recommendation” on Thursday, requesting that the FAA and Transport Canada take “immediate action” to require all DHC-3 seaplane operators to immediately conduct a one-time inspection of the horizontal stabilizer actuator lock ring in accordance with Viking Air Limited’s instructions.
The DHC-3 crashed into Mutiny Bay, Washington, after beginning a nose-down, nearly vertical descent. The horizontal stabilizer actuator, which is a component of the airplane’s pitch trim control system, had broken into two pieces, according to NTSB investigators.
“Aircraft operators and maintainers inspect the stabilizer actuator and verify that the lock ring is present and correctly installed,” according to a letter from Viking Air Ltd. this week seen by Reuters. The NTSB wants Transport Canada and the FAA to make the inspections mandatory.
According to NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, “Immediate action needs to be taken to inspect the actuator of DHC-3 airplanes, of which 40% operate in the United States, to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring.”
According to the FAA, there are 68 registered DHC-3 aircraft. The DHC-3 is manufactured by Viking, but Viking does not construct it.
