NTSB probe of Whidbey floatplane crash points to likely cause, fix

By Dominic Gates / The Seattle Times

SEATTLE — A year after the deadly floatplane crash near Whidbey Island, the National Transportation Safety Board is focused on the design and maintenance of the part that could have failed and caused the crash, NTSB investigation documents released Friday show.

On Sept. 4, 2022, a de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter turboprop operated by Renton-based Friday Harbor Seaplanes plunged into the waters of Puget Sound, killing all 10 people on board.

Less than two months later, in October, the NTSB identified a potential mechanical cause of the crash. It concluded that the actuator that moves the horizontal tail and controls the pitch of the airplane that crashed probably came apart in flight.

The NTSB won’t formally confirm the probable cause of the crash until its final report comes out, but its actions and the documents released Friday that reveal new details point to that actuator as the chief suspect.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/ntsb-probe-of-whidbey-floatplane-crash-points-to-likely-cause-fix/