Air Moorea Flight 1121

Air Moorea Flight 1121 was a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter which crashed into the ocean shortly after takeoff from Moorea Airport on Moorea Island in French Polynesia on 9 August 2007, killing all 20 people on board.

Air Moorea Flight 1121
F-OIQI, the aircraft involved in the crash, pictured in March 2007
Accident
Date9 August 2007
SummaryLoss of control due to deterioration and eventual breaking of a pitch control cable
Site1.5 km (0.9 mi) off Moorea-Temae Airport (MOZ), French Polynesia
17°30′6″S 149°44′46″W
Aircraft
Aircraft typede Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
OperatorAir Moorea
RegistrationF-OIQI
Flight originMoorea-Temae Airport (MOZ/NTTM), French Polynesia
DestinationPapeete-Fa'a'ā International Airport (PPT/NTAA)
Passengers19
Crew1
Fatalities20
Survivors0

It was bound for Tahiti's Fa'a'ā International Airport on a regular 7-minute service, one of the shortest on earth, scheduled 40 to 50 times a day. The crash resulted from loss of control due to failure of the airplane's elevator cable.[1] Frequent takeoff and landing are believed to have been a major factor in the crash, because of wear and tear on the elevator cables, inspected only at fixed time intervals, regardless of usage. Another factor may have been jet-blast from large planes pushing back from the ramp at Fa'a'ā International.

Flight and crash

The aircraft, reg. F-OIQI was a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter built-in 1979. The airframe had been flying in more than 55,000 cycles in 30,800 hours before the crash. It was 28 years old at the time of the accident.

The pilot was 53-year-old French Polynesian Michel Santeurenne. Air Moorea flights generally required only a single pilot, and on 9 August Santeurenne was flying the short hop without any other crewmembers. He had completed over 3,500 hours of flight time, including 110 hours for Air Moorea since 14 May 2007. He had worked for Air Moorea for three months at the time of the accident.

The oft-traveled Moorea to Tahiti route is one of the shortest in the world – only a 7-minute flight on average – and is flown 40 to 50 times a day. On 9 August 2007, F-OIQI was the aircraft operating the short route. The aircraft took off without incident just past noon, and was climbing through 400 feet when, according to eyewitnesses, it suddenly nosed down without warning and dove into the ocean, killing all 20 onboard – 19 passengers and the pilot, Santeurenne.[2]

Investigation

As the islands are French territory, the accident was investigated by the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA). Following analysis of the recovered CVR and parts of airplane wreckage from a depth of 700 m (2,300 ft), as well as metallurgical testing of the cable, the BEA concluded: "The accident was caused by the loss of airplane pitch control following the failure, at a low height, of the elevator pitch-up control cable at the time the flaps were retracted.[1]

Factors contributing to the cable's failure were wear and tear due to frequent takeoff and landing cycles, and inspection of the cables only at fixed time intervals regardless of usage. Other factors may have been jet-blast from large planes pushing back from the ramp at Fa'a'ā International and the salt air environment.[1]

Cultural references

The Discovery Channel Canada / National Geographic TV series Mayday depicted the accident in a Season #13 episode, "Terror in Paradise", first aired on 27 Jan 2014. The episode featured interviews with witnesses and accident investigators, and a dramatization of the accident.

See also

References
  1. "Accident on 9 August 2007 off the coast of Moorea (French Polynesia)" (PDF). Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile. May 2013. pp. 68–69. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  2. "All 20 Aboard Doomed Air Moorea Flight Feared Dead". Oceania Flash via Pacific Magazine. 10 August 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 12 August 2007.
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