Brand new turboprop plane: Pilatus crashed off Crete

[farri]

A Porter turboprop aircraft made by the Swiss manufacturer Pilatus has crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off Crete. A pilot was killed. The machine was only delivered new on Monday.

https://www.tellerreport.com/tech/2022-12-16-brand-new-turboprop-plane--pilatus-crashed-off-crete.HkQst8Zqdj.html

 

https://www.globalair.com/articles/final-pilatus-pc-6-crashes-in-sea-near-crete-on-way-to-delivery-killing-1?id=5336

 

 

 

Franco.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Thruster88]

I think it may have been the last one built.  

[kgwilson]

Do you mean the most recent or they aren't building them any more?

[Thruster88]

Production has ended 

[facthunter]

Turbo Porters go back to the Mid 60s. They were a great leap forward in PNG.   Nev

[kgwilson]

They are pretty ugly but have great performance and were very effective at what they were designed to do.

[facthunter]

A good work Plane doesn't have to look pretty. The nose had to be long as the PT6 is so light. The carrying space was ginormous. Pilatus have a good reputation. Nev

[onetrack]

The Australian Army had them in Vietnam in the late 1960's, owned and run by 161 Recce Flt. They were a fantastic machine. I remember watching them landing in a stiff headwind, and being amazed at slow they could fly.

 

http://www.161recceflt.org.au/unitaircraft/porter/history_of_pilatus_porter.htm

 

I can't even begin to guess what went wrong not long after takeoff from Heraklion. With a new aircraft that was flown successfully on the first leg of the delivery flight, one has to suspect that something that was done at Heraklion airport has been the reason behind the flight problem. Or perhaps it was simply a component that wasn't tightened properly at the factory, which then came off in flight.

One would imagine though, that after 60 years of building the Porters, Pilatus would have had all the assembly operations down pat.

 

 

[Student Pilot]

Porters can have fuel issues with the wing/ferry tanks.

[IBob]

One of the main jump centres in the UK had one in the late'70s. I was part of a load of ballast used to demonstrate it to visiting military on a very windy day, so we didn't jump, but went up then came down near vertical in the thing, all jammed against the  back of the pilot's seat. The military didn't buy, but we enjoyed the ride.
Evidently they are quite heavy on the controls and tiring for the pilot to operate, certainly as a jump ship.
That one came to a sticky end when a pilot inadvertently selected beta pitch shortly after takeoff.....(