Amateur-built DHC-6 Twin Otter accident near Ottawa, Illinois, June 16, 2001
On June 16, 2001 at about 4:15 am local time, a amateur-built DHC-6 Twin Otter, registered N30EA, suffered minor damage in an accident near Ottawa, Illinois (Skydive Chicago airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 6 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the passenger to maintain clearance from the windmilling propeller after exiting the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2001 · about 4:15 am local time
- Place
- Ottawa, Illinois · Skydive Chicago · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 6 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-6 Twin Otter
- Registration
- N30EA · registry record · serial 191
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
after landing at night and stopping on the ramp, a passenger was seriously injured after walking into the propeller blade after exiting the aircraft.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,800 hours in all; 701 in this make and model; 343 in the last 90 days; 216 in the last 30 days; 10,650 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 22, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 11,579 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Eagle Air Transport Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: 9D9 Hastings MI at 3:00 am
- Destination: 8N2 Ottawa IL
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from IKK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 5 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N30EA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.