Dehavilland DHC-6-100 accident near Hampton, Georgia, March 8, 2011
On March 8, 2011 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Dehavilland DHC-6-100, registered N157KM, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Hampton, Georgia (Clayton County airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot did not maintain airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 2011 · about 4:40 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Hampton, Georgia · Clayton County · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dehavilland DHC-6-100 · all DHC-6-100s on the register
- Registration
- N157KM · no longer on the register · serial 057
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane had not been flown for about 5 months and the purpose of the accident flight was a maintenance test flight after both engines had been replaced with higher horsepower models. Witnesses observed the airplane depart and complete two uneventful touch-and-go landings. The airplane was then observed to be struggling to gain altitude and airspeed while maneuvering in the traffic pattern. One witness, who was an aircraft mechanic, reported that he observed the airplane yawing to the left and heard noises associated with propeller pitch changes, which he believed were consistent with the "Beta" range. The airplane stalled and impacted trees in a wooded marsh area, about 1 mile from the airport. It came to rest about 80-degrees vertically. Examination of the wreckage did not reveal any preimpact malfunctions; however, the lack of flight recorders and the condition of the wreckage precluded the gathering of additional relevant information. Damage observed to both engines and both propellers revealed they were likely operating at symmetrical power settings and blade angles at the time of the impact, with any differences in scoring signatures likely the result of impact damage. The reason for the yawing and the noise associated with propeller pitch changes that were reported prior to the stall could not be determined.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during approach defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during approach
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,255 hours in all; 492 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 1,150 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 20, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,541 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 30, 2010; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,579 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: P&Wc PT6A-27 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&Wc PT6A-27 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Desert Sand Aircraft Leasing Company Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: 4A7 Hampton GA
- Destination: 4A7 Hampton GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 4,503 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from FFC, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
27 documents, released by the NTSB on May 15, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N157KM: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Dehavilland DHC-6 114 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Dehavilland 861 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&Wc PT6A-27 31 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: P&Wc PT6A-27 31 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,138 since 1982 · 361 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,804 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA11FA183.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.