(Vancouver) Aviation regulators in Canada and the United States are under pressure to order an immediate inspection of a type of Canadian-built seaplane involved in a fatal crash in Washington state.
Posted at 6:12 p.m.
The U.S. Federal Transportation Safety Board issued an urgent safety advisory on Thursday, calling on Transport Canada and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to demand immediate inspections of De Havilland Canada aircraft. DHC-3, better known as DHC-3 Otter.
The recommendation says a crucial part of the Otter’s horizontal tail stabilizer appears to have detached from the Friday Harbor Seaplanes aircraft that crashed into Puget Sound north of Seattle in September, killing all 10 people on board.
The regulator says a clamping nut that secures two sections may have come loose and the locking ring that would have prevented separation was missing or improperly installed.
Transportation Safety Board officials in the United States say they and the Transportation Safety Board in Canada have asked the Ontario manufacturer of the Otter to draft instructions advising all operators of this type aircraft to inspect the tail stabilizer to ensure that the locking ring is present and properly installed.
Transport Canada did not respond to a request to comment on the case.
In an emailed statement, Richmond, B.C.-based Harbor Air Group says it recently conducted an additional inspection of its De Havilland Otters to review parts identified by the Transportation Safety Board.
Meredith Moll, vice president of sales and marketing at Harbor Air, says nothing was found and “all planes have been returned to service”.
The single-engine, high-wing, propeller-driven DHC-3 Otter entered production in the early 1950s and, due to its short takeoff and landing capability and versatility with skis or floats, was primarily intended to be a bush plane.
It is used by many charter airlines in Canada and the United States, including Harbor Air, Air Inuit and Vancouver Island Air, based in Campbell River, British Columbia.