What happened
On the evening of 9 August 2007, a DHC-6 aircraft, registration F-OIQI, was operating a scheduled passenger flight from Moorea to Tahiti Faa’a. The flight was being conducted under visual flight rules with a pilot and 19 passengers on board. Following authorization for startup at 21:53, the aircraft taxied toward holding point Bravo and was cleared to line up on runway 12.
The takeoff clearance was granted at 22:00, and the engines were powered up six seconds later. During the initial climb, the pilot retracted the flaps. Shortly after this action, the pilot expressed surprise, followed by multiple Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) alerts. The aircraft impacted the ocean surface at 22:01.
Rescue operations led to the recovery of 14 fatalities, with a 15th fatality recovered several days later during the wreckage retrieval process. Debris including seat cushions and landing gear components were found in the vicinity of the impact site.
Findings
The investigation determined that the accident resulted from the loss of airplane pitch control following the failure of the elevator pitch-up control cable at a low altitude. This mechanical failure occurred precisely as the flaps were being retracted.
Technical analysis revealed several contributing factors:
- Significant wear was present on the cable where it met a cable guide.
- An external force, identified as likely jet blast, caused the breakage of several cable strands.
- The final strands failed under the operational loads of the elevator control system.
- There was an absence of specific pilot training regarding loss of pitch control.
- Maintenance deficiencies included the operator's failure to perform certain special inspections and a lack of consideration for wear patterns by the manufacturer and authorities.