Incident Overview
On August 11, 2025, at 1130 Pacific daylight time, a De Havilland DHC-6-300, registration N344CS, sustained substantial damage during a landing accident at San Clemente Island, California. The aircraft was operating as a Code of Federal Regulations Title 14 Part 135 on-demand air taxi flight with two pilots and sixteen passengers aboard; none were injured.
Sequence of Events
According to the operator, the flight was uneventful until approximately 10 seconds prior to touchdown. At an altitude of about 15 to 20 feet above ground level and an airspeed of approximately 95 knots, the airplane began to yaw hard to the left and pitched nose down. The left wing struck the runway. The first officer, who was the pilot flying, applied right bank and the airplane touched down hard onto the runway. Upon touchdown, the captain took control of the airplane and attempted to maintain directional control using nosewheel steering; however, the airplane turned left and departed the runway surface. The aircraft came to rest upright, the flight crew shut down both engines, and all occupants egressed without injury.
Damage and Examination
Approximately one-third of the outboard portion of the left wing and about half of the left aileron had separated from the aircraft. Postaccident examination revealed that 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.