2016 Sunbird Aviation Crash
On 13 April 2016, a Britten-Norman BN-2T Turbine Islander operated by Sunbird Aviation crashed about short of runway 7 at Kiunga Airport in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. The plane pitched up right before the crash, then dropped its right wing and fell almost vertically to the ground. Eleven passengers (including three children) and the 31-year-old Australian pilot, Benjamin Picard, were killed. Nine people died on impact, with other three declared dead on arrival at Kiunga Hospital. The investigation determined that the right engine had failed for unknown reasons at an unverified time, but most likely earlier in the flight. The aircraft was loaded significantly aft of the centre of gravity (CG) limit. Upon extension of the aircraft's flaps, the aft CG caused an uncontrollable pitch up, resulting in the aircraft stalling and spinning into the ground. Flight The flight was a non-scheduled domestic chartered passenger flight from Tekin, West Sepik Province (Sandaun ...
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