The De Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter (similar to the aircraft here) was on a flight between Friday Harbor Seaplane Base and Renton Municipal Airport at the time of the accident. [Credit: Stephen Yeates]
Key Takeaways:
Multiple wrongful death lawsuits have been filed against Northwest Seaplanes and De Havilland Aircraft of Canada following a seaplane crash in September 2022 near Seattle that killed 10 people.
The lawsuits allege the accident was "entirely preventable" and seek damages from both the operator and manufacturer.
Preliminary NTSB findings indicate a critical component, the horizontal stabilizer actuator clamp nut, had unscrewed due to a missing wire lock ring, which would lead to a loss of pitch control.
In response, the NTSB issued an urgent safety recommendation for immediate inspections of horizontal stabilizer actuator lock rings on all De Havilland DHC-3 aircraft.
Several lawsuits have been filed over the loss of a seaplane near Seattle last September that killed nine passengers and the pilot.
The 1967 De Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter operated by Northwest Seaplanes—a Part 135 operation in Renton, Washington—was on a flight between Friday Harbor Seaplane Base (W33) and Renton Municipal Airport (KRNT) at the time of the accident.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
