Accident Overview
On September 15, 2015, at approximately 0606 Alaska daylight time, a de Havilland DHC-3T Otter, registration N928RK, crashed on tundra-covered terrain shortly after takeoff from East Wind Lake. The accident site was about 1 mile east of Iliamna Airport, Iliamna, Alaska. The flight was conducted as a visual flight rules other work use flight under 14 CFR Part 91, with no flight plan filed. Dark night, visual meteorological conditions existed at the departure point. The flight was en route to a remote fishing site on the Swishak River, about 75 miles northwest of Kodiak, Alaska.
Occupants and Injuries
The airplane carried an airline transport pilot and nine passengers. Three passengers died at the scene. The pilot and four passengers sustained serious injuries, and two passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage.
Aircraft and Flight Details
The airplane was a single-engine, turbine-powered, float-equipped de Havilland DHC-3T (Otter). It was registered to and operated by Rainbow King Lodge, Inc., of Lemoore, California.
Probable Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be the pilot's decision to depart in dark night, visual meteorological conditions over water, which resulted in his subsequent spatial disorientation and loss of airplane control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to determine the airplane's actual preflight weight and balance and center of gravity, which led to the airplane being loaded and operated outside of the weight and CG limits and to a subsequent aerodynamic stall.