Introduction
On 13 November 2020, a serious incident occurred at Finolhu Resort water aerodrome in the Maldives involving a Viking Air DHC-6-300 aircraft, registration 8Q-MBC, operated by Trans Maldivian Airways Pvt Ltd. The aircraft was on a charter flight from Finolhu Resort to Velana International Airport with 15 passengers, two pilots, and one cabin crew member.
Flight History
The aircraft had been dispatched earlier that day on a multi-sector flight (FLT772157) from Velana International Airport (MLE) to Maamunaga water aerodrome (MMG), ReethiFaru Resort (RFR), and Finolhu Resort (FIN), before returning to MLE. The crew reported no abnormalities on previous sectors. During take-off from Finolhu Resort in a north-westerly direction toward a stretch of water bungalows, the crew aborted the take-off when the aircraft failed to produce sufficient lift.
Incident Details
While aborting the take-off, the crew attempted to move the power levers to the reverse position but were unable to do so. They then shut down both engines. However, the aircraft continued moving forward under momentum and collided with a water bungalow, coming to a stop. The left wing leading edge sustained dents in three places, the right wing tip was damaged, and one right propeller blade was damaged. Two water bungalows also sustained damage to their wooden structure and steps.
Aftermath
A dinghy towed the aircraft back to the floating platform, where all passengers and crew disembarked safely. No injuries to passengers or crew were reported. Baggage was offloaded without incident.
Weather Conditions
At the time of the incident, strong winds and choppy water conditions were reported. The nearest automatic weather station recorded wind speeds of 25 mph (21.7 knots) from the west-southwest (WSW) at 17:11 hrs local time.
Investigation
The Maldives Civil Aviation Authority reported the incident to the Accident Investigation Coordinating Committee (AICC) on the same day at 19:04 hrs. The AICC began its investigation on the following day, 14 November 2021, with interviews of the crew and a visit to the accident site. A second site visit was conducted on 16 November 2021. The investigation is ongoing.