The final brand new Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter was handed over to its new owners , Smart Aviation of Jakarta, Indonesia, last week – but a day later crashed on its ferry flight home.
The aircraft reported a mechanical problem shortly after take-off from Heraklion, Crete en route to Hurghada, Egypt. It then ditched into the sea off Karteros Beach. A Greek coastguard ship was on the scene quickly and rescued both the pilot and a passenger; however, the passenger died of his injuries later.
A video of the rescue and the aircraft sinking has been released by the Greek Coastgard, above.
A Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo Porter (PK-SNF) crashed in the sea after takeoff from Heraklion, Crete, Greece. One of the two occupants died in the crash.
The aircraft was the final PC-6 from the production line and was a delivery flight to Indonesia. https://t.co/51cHSWw0Qf pic.twitter.com/SZBAZMTITw— Aviation Safety Network (ASN) (@AviationSafety) December 15, 2022