The de Havilland Canada DHC-3T is a single-engine, propeller-driven, short take-off and landing aircraft. It began life in 1951 as the King Beaver but was later renamed the Otter spawing the successful and ubiquitous utility aircraft family.
Production of the DHC-3 began in 1951 and de Havilland built 466 of the type before pulling the plug sixteen years later. The largest single operator for the type was the US Army, with 200 aircraft.
According to Flightglobal's ACAS database, the DHC-3T carrying O'Keefe - registration N455A, serial number 206 - was built in 1957. The aircraft's Pratt & Whitney R1340 piston engine was upgraded by engine conversion specialist Texas Turbine in 2005 to a Honeywell TPE331 and the type subsequently rebranded the DHC-3T Super Otter.
The aircraft has a chequered safety record. The US-based Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network lists 77 incidents for the type, including 56 hull losses and 117 fatalities.
In the archive:
1951 De Havilland's latest enterprise
Source: Flight International
