Accident Details
The aircraft departed Apia-Faleolo Airport at approximately 1735 LT for a local training flight with three pilots on board. After performing several circuits in the area, the crew decided to return to the airport. While at an altitude of 3,000 feet, the airplane went out of control, entered a dive, and eventually crashed into the Apolima Strait, a few kilometers offshore.
Wreckage and Casualties
Few pieces of debris were found floating on the water, but the main wreckage was not recovered. All three crew members were killed, including the company's Chief Pilot and General Manager.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the probable cause of the accident was the in-flight opening and separation from the structure of the air-stair door, which struck the aircraft's tail and damaged it to the extent that an uncontrollable pitch-down of the nose occurred, resulting in the aircraft diving into the sea.