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 (operator) and De Havilland Aircraft of Canada (manufacturer) following a fatal seaplane crash near Seattle last September that killed 10 people.
The lawsuits allege the accident was "entirely preventable" and seek damages, with plaintiffs including estates of several passengers.
A preliminary NTSB report found that a critical lock ring on the horizontal stabilizer actuator was missing, which could result in a loss of pitch control.
In response to these findings, the NTSB issued an urgent safety recommendation for all De Havilland Canada DHC-3 operators to immediately inspect the actuator lock ring.
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.
