Accident Overview
On an approach to San Pedro Airport runway 06, an aircraft registered as N402BL was number two for landing. Ahead of it was a Cessna 207, V3-HER, which had broadcast its intention to land. A Tropic Air Twin Otter, call sign Tango Alfa, was on the ground. The pilot of Tango Alfa requested that N402BL go around to allow the Twin Otter to take off because the ramp was full. N402BL acknowledged the request and was observed making a left turn with the landing gear down.
Sequence of Events
After the go-around, no further communication was heard from N402BL. The aircraft was subsequently seen flying very low with the landing gear and flaps extended, heading in a southerly direction. As it crossed the shoreline south of the airstrip, the aircraft made a sharp left turn and crashed into the sea approximately 200 yards from the beach at around 1500 hours. The aircraft struck the water nose-first, then righted itself and sank in water about five feet deep. There was no fire. Boats in the vicinity reached the accident site within minutes and reported that all eight occupants were dead inside the aircraft.
Investigation
The official investigation into the accident found no evidence that permits a definitive determination of the cause. However, the investigators considered it a reasonable deduction that the pilot was unfit for flight due to fatigue, that he stalled the aircraft while flying very low downwind with the landing gear down, and that the aircraft was too low to recover from the stall.
Probable Cause
The probable cause, as stated in the official findings, is that there is no evidence which permits the investigation to determine with certainty the actual cause of the accident. It is considered a reasonable deduction that the pilot was unfit for flight due to fatigue, stalled the aircraft while flying very low down wind with landing gear down, and the aircraft was much too low to recover from the stall.