De Havilland DHC-3 Otter crash, Nov 26, 1979 (3 killed)
De Havilland DHC-3 Otter accident on November 26, 1979 near Leo Creek British Columbia, Canada with 3 fatalities. Cause: Aircraft overloaded beyond...
- Date: November 26, 1979
- Aircraft: De Havilland DHC-3 Otter
- Location: Leo Creek British Columbia, Canada
- Fatalities: 3
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: Aircraft overloaded beyond maximum gross weight with the centre of gravity far behind the rear limit, causing a steep nose-high pitch and stall after takeoff that the pilot could not control.
On 26 November 1979, a De Havilland DHC-3 Otter (C-FJIK) operated by Smithers Air Service was chartered to return from a remote lodge with three passengers and a load of empty beer bottles filling the cabin. Immediately after takeoff from Leo Creek, British Columbia, the aircraft pitched to a steep nose-high attitude, stalled and fell to the ground. A fuel-fed fire destroyed the aircraft. The pilot survived; the three passengers died in the fire.