De Havilland DHC-3 Otter crash, May 10, 1978 (3 killed)
De Havilland DHC-3 Otter accident on May 10, 1978 near Del Rio Texas, United States with 3 fatalities. Cause: Uncontrolled collision with the ground...
- Date: May 10, 1978
- Aircraft: De Havilland DHC-3 Otter
- Location: Del Rio Texas, United States
- Fatalities: 3
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: Uncontrolled collision with the ground during the initial climb, attributed to elevator failure (broken elevator push-pull tube). Contributing factors included previous damage and the aircraft being parked in gusting winds of up to 58 knots with its controls unlocked.
Civil Air Patrol Otter on a search and rescue mission to Alamogordo. Shortly after takeoff from Del Rio, while climbing, it went out of control and crashed. All three occupants were killed.