Status:	Final
Date:	19 MAR 1992
Time:	06:47
Type:	de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
Operator:	NorOntair
Registration:	C-GQKZ
C/n / msn:	532
First flight:	1977
Engines:	2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27
Crew:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Passengers:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Airplane damage:	Substantial
Airplane fate:	Repaired
Location:	Red Lake Airport, ON (YRL) (Canada)
Phase:	Takeoff (TOF)
Nature:	Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:	Red Lake Airport, ON (YRL), Canada
Destination airport:	Kenora Airport, ON (YQK/CYQK), Canada
Flightnumber:	502

Narrative:
The NorOntair flight was scheduled to proceed from Red Lake to Kenora, and then to Thunder Bay. There were no passengers for the leg to Kenora, but there were passengers scheduled to fly out of Kenora to Thunder Bay. During the taxi to the runway, the pre-take-off checks were completed and the captain conducted the briefing for a standard ten-degree flap take-off. He then decided to practice a short take-off and landing (STOL) type take-off. He informed the first officer, and selected the flaps to 30 degrees. The captain lined up on the button of runway 08. The engines were set to take-off power and after approximately 300 feet of ground roll, the aircraft became airborne. Initially the aircraft climbed, and then it began to descend. It then climbed again, more steeply than before. Suddenly, at approximately 150 feet agl, the aircraft stopped climbing, descended in a steep nosedown attitude, and crashed half-way down the runway.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The Board determined that inappropriate short take-off and landing (STOL) take-off procedures were applied, which placed the aircraft in a flight regime outside of the aircraft performance envelope for sustained flight. The aircraft stalled at an altitude from which recovery was not possible.
Contributing to the occurrence was the general acceptance of the use of STOL techniques as an approved procedure."

Sources: