De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter crash, May 30, 1979 (17 killed)
De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter accident on May 30, 1979 near Rockland-Knox County Maine, United States with 17 fatalities. Cause: Crew descended below...
- Date: May 30, 1979
- Aircraft: De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter
- Location: Rockland-Knox County Maine, United States
- Fatalities: 17
- Phase of flight: Approach and landing
- Cause: Crew descended below minimum descent altitude during a non-precision approach in heavy fog to see the runway. NTSB attributed the accident to pilot error, with company management policies cited as contributing factors.
Downeast Airlines flight 46, a scheduled Twin Otter service from Boston to Rockland, crashed into wooded terrain about 1.2 miles south-southwest of Knox County Regional Airport during a non-precision instrument approach to runway 03 at night in fog. Seventeen people died and one passenger survived. The NTSB attributed the crash to pilot error.