Tropicair Twin Otter loses nose wheel gear after take-off
By Andrew Curran.
A Twin Otter DHC-6-300 operated by Papua New Guinea’s Tropicair lost its nose wheel gear shortly after take-off from Tapini Airport (TPI) on January 22, 2026, according to a preliminary report from the PNG Accident Investigation Commission.
Nineteen passengers and two crew were on-board the aircraft, P2-BBM (msn 542), which continued to Port Moresby (POM) where it made a controlled emergency landing. While the aircraft sustained significant damage on landing, no-one onboard was injured.
The pilot was a 71-year-old Australian male and the co-pilot was a 30-year-old Papua New Guinea male. They received praise for their “precise” landing.
The report states that residents living near Tapini Airport found the wheel gear after it “detached and separated after take-off.” However, the pilots did not immediately notice. Instead, company staff on the ground notified them.
Having declared a PAN, the pilots secured permission to overfly the control tower at Port Moresby Airport for visual confirmation.
“Following this confirmation, ATC vectored the aircraft away from the airport while activating the airport emergency response protocol,” the report reads. “The aircraft subsequently returned to Jacksons International Airport and conducted an emergency landing. The aircraft came to rest on runway 32L.”
Video footage of the landing shows the nose gear missing, with a trailing wire left dangling.
Tropicair is an established local charter operator holding BARS accreditation and is CASA PNG and CASA Australia compliant. According to its website, the airline operates nine aircraft, including three DHC-6-300s, one Cessna Caravan 208B, four Beechcraft King Air B200s, and one Cessna Citation CJ3 business jet.
Tropicair uses its Twin Otters for passenger and freight services, as well as fly in fly out charters, particularly in Papua New Guinea’s Gulf region and Highlands. P2-BBM was manufactured in 1977. In June 2024, the same aircraft experienced a runway excursion at Kikori Airport (KRI) when, after landing, it continued its roll past the left airstrip boundary and into a drainage ditch, where the nosewheel became partially bogged and the nose cone also impacted the ground.
In the January 2026 incident, the pilots described the runway conditions at Tapini Airport as wet and slippery. On departure, the aircraft slid as it turned to align with the runway heading. During the subsequent application of take-off power, the Twin Otter lost some directional control but became airborne after approximately 550 metres. It remains unclear exactly when the nose wheel gear detached once airborne.
“The investigation is continuing and intends to understand the reason for the accident,” the report adds. “The investigation will also include, but not limited to, the operations, systems, performance, maintenance, and organisational aspects, design and manufacture. The investigation analysis and findings will be included in the final report.”
You can read the preliminary report here.
Photos: Accident Investigation Commission.
Contact the writer: andrew@aerosouthpacific.com