Runway excursion Accident de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 N344CS, Monday 11 August 2025
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Date:Monday 11 August 2025
Time:11:46
Type:Silhouette image of generic DHC6 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
Owner/operator:Transport Company LLC opb Rampart Aviation
Registration: N344CS
MSN: 334
Year of manufacture:1971
Engine model:P&W Canada PT6A-27
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 18
Other fatalities:0
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:San Clemente Island NALF (NUC/KNUC), San Clemente Island, CA -   United States of America
Phase: Landing
Nature:Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:San Diego-North Island NAS, CA (NZY/KNZY)
Destination airport:San Clemente Island Naval Auxiliary Landing Field, CA (KNUC)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities
Narrative:
On August 11, 2025, at 1130 Pacific daylight time, a De Havilland DHC-6-300, N344CS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at San Clemente Island, California. The 2 pilots and 16 passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Code of Federal Regulations Title 14 Part 135 on-demand air taxi flight.

According to the operator, the flight was uneventful until approximately 10 seconds prior to touchdown. About 15-20 ft above ground level and an airspeed of about 95 knots, the airplane began to yaw hard to the left and pitched nose down. The left wing struck the runway and the first officer, who was the pilot flying, banked to the right and the airplane touched down hard onto the runway. Upon touchdown, the captain took control of the airplane and tried to maintain directional control by using nosewheel steering, however, the airplane turned left and exited the runway surface. The airplane came to rest upright, the flight crew shut the engines down, and the occupants egressed from the airplane. About 1/3 of the outboard portion of the left wing and about 1/2 of the left aileron had separated.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the No. 1 (left) engine propeller beta ring was fragmented, with multiple pieces of the beta ring contained within the engine cowling. The airplane and the recovered beta ring fragments were retained for further examination.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: 
Status: Preliminary report
Duration:
Download report: Preliminary report

Sources:

NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberResult?NNumberTxt=N344CS
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N344CS/history/20250811/1813Z/KNZY/KNUC

https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/5/95738_1649589853.jpg (photo)

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
12-Aug-2025 10:44 Captain Adam Added
12-Aug-2025 16:59 ASN Updated
14-Aug-2025 12:43 TB Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Narrative, ]
14-Aug-2025 13:47 Captain Adam Updated [Time, Operator, Location, ]
09-Sep-2025 19:20 Captain Adam Updated [Time, Total occupants, Nature, Narrative, Accident report, ]

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

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