Date:	Sunday 22 December 2024
Time:	10:30
Type:	Britten-Norman BN-2B-26 Islander
Owner/operator:	North Coast Aviation
Registration:	P2-SAM
MSN:	2197
Year of manufacture:	1986
Total airframe hrs:	19141 hours
Engine model:	Lycoming O-540
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	5.7 nm ENE of Sapmanga, Kabwum District, Morobe Province -   Papua New Guinea
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:	Wasu Airport (WSU/AYWS)
Destination airport:	Lae-Nadzab Airport (LAE/AYNZ)
Investigating agency:	AIC PNG
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
A Britten-Norman BN-2B-26 Islander, operated by North Coast Aviation collided with wooded terrain in the Sapmanga Valley, about 32 nm Northeast of Nadzab, Papua New Guinea. All five persons on board were fatally injured upon impact.

The aircraft departed had Wasu Airstrip at 10:12 local time on a single pilot charter flight with four passengers on board, the passengers were staff of the Ministry of Housing, en route to Nadzab, with an estimated arrival time of 10:47.
After departure from Wasu, P2-SAM tracked west along the coast. Ten minutes after departure the aircraft commenced tracking southwest while climbing through 5,500 ft. The south-westerly track was maintained until the last recorded position at 10:26:59. The aircraft was 5.7 nm northeast of Sapmanga, climbing through 8,002 ft at 433 ft per min and with a groundspeed of 85 kts. at the last recorded tracking point.
The aircraft’s right-wing outboard of the engine impacted a tree trunk at 8,405 ft and the aircraft then flew into the canopy of the forest. The initial tree impact was 19 metres above the ground and it severed the outboard section of the right wing.
The right wing, inboard of the engine, then impacted on a larger diameter tree trunk about 5 metres beyond the first tree and 12 metres above the ground, which arrested the aircraft’s speed and its forward trajectory and pulled it vertically to the ground. The impact point of the second tree was at 8,405 ft elevation. The general impact area on the cliff face sloped at an average of 55 deg. The elevation of the ground impact and accident site was 8,344 ft.

Causes [Contributing factors]
In an area of rising terrain, the pilot either flew the track in cloud or in markedly reduced visibility, with no reference to terrain, towards steeply rising terrain at an indicated airspeed that was 35 kts above the manufacturer’s (flight tested) promulgated best angle of climb speed to avoid obstacles. There was no evidence of a manoeuvre to avoid the terrain.
Furthermore, investigation determined that the aircraft was flown in cloud or in reduced visibility at a cruise climb speed and struck vegetation and the face of a steep ridge resulting in controlled flight into terrain.
The aircraft was fitted with a Global Navigation System receiver capable of providing visual terrain awareness warnings. It was not fitted with a terrain aural warning interface.
Incorporation of an aural warning in conjunction with the visual terrain warning, may have prevented the accident.

https://www.postcourier.com.pg/five-confirmed-pasengers-on-board-ill-fated-flight/
https://www.postcourier.com.pg/missing-north-coast-aviation-plane-found1/
https://www.thenational.com.pg/missing-north-coast-aviation-plane-located/
PNG AIC
https://www.postcourier.com.pg/no-survivors-of-crash-in-sapmanga-valley-morobe/

Ex P2-ENB, VH-KQM, ZK-ZQN, G-BLNW

Other occurrences involving this aircraft


18 December 2016

P2-ENB

North Coast Aviation

0

Wau in Bulolo, Morobe

min

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
22-Dec-2024 23:46	gerard57	Added
23-Dec-2024 03:27	RobertMB	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
23-Dec-2024 07:17	ASN	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Total occupants, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ]
23-Dec-2024 08:33	RobertMB	Updated [Narrative, ]
23-Dec-2024 08:36	ASN	Updated [Time, Location, Narrative, ]
23-Dec-2024 10:20	SignorPignolini	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
23-Dec-2024 10:43	Anon.	Updated [Damage, ]
24-Dec-2024 06:14	RobertMB	Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Source, Narrative, Category, ]
24-Dec-2024 06:20	RobertMB	Updated [Category, ]
24-Dec-2024 06:32	RobertMB	Updated [Category, ]
24-Dec-2024 06:34	RobertMB	Updated [Category, ]
24-Dec-2024 07:08	Petropavlovsk	Updated [Total fatalities, Source, Narrative, ]
26-Dec-2024 08:23	Frédéric Goudon	Updated [Narrative, ]
02-Jan-2025 07:20	Anon.	Updated [Narrative, ]
17-Jan-2025 17:57	ASN	Updated [Location, Narrative, Accident report, ]
01-Aug-2025 14:37	ASN	Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ]