Accident Details
A de Havilland Canada Otter aircraft, chartered to transport three passengers and a stove to a remote hunting and fishing lodge, crashed shortly after takeoff on the return flight to Smithers. Environmentally conscious passengers had chosen to take their empty beer bottles with them—approximately 250 to 300 cases. One passenger occupied the cockpit; the other two sat in the first row of seats. The remainder of the aircraft was filled with empty beer bottles.
Immediately after liftoff, the aircraft pitched to a steep nose-high attitude that the pilot was unable to prevent or correct. The Otter then stalled and fell to the ground. On impact, a severe fuel-fed fire erupted, gutting the aircraft. The pilot was thrown clear, but the three passengers died in the fire.
Pilot Background
The pilot of the Otter was Emil Mesich, owner of Smithers Air Service. Following the accident, the company ceased trading and went into receivership. Mesich later worked for Central Mountain Air Services Ltd., based at Smithers.
Weight and Balance Analysis
An investigation determined there were 4,773 bottles on board. Weight and balance calculations showed the Otter’s gross weight was 637 pounds over the maximum, with the center of gravity (C of G) located 11.5 inches aft of the rear limit. Calculations by de Havilland Canada indicated that an Otter will run out of elevator control when the C of G is four inches aft of the rear limit. The pilot had estimated that a dozen bottles weighed 3 to 4 pounds, but the true weight was 7 pounds.