Where are they now - 929KT
Our fleet has a long history in aviation! Otter 929KT has a particularly interesting history before joining our crew to become the exceptionally well-maintained beauty it is today, as it was one of the last single engine Otters manufactured, with serial number 461 of 466.
Our Otters 929KT along with 636KT (serial number 451) had similar beginnings when the United Nations ordered eight Otters intended for use in an underdeveloped part of Indonesia to aid in the development of the region. However, after strong political opposition from Britain, concerned that the Otters may end up used for the purpose of confrontation by Indonesia with Malaysia, the Canadian External Affairs vetoed the sale. In 1965, the Canadian government was requested to aid in the development of a Tanzanian air wing, so in 1966 both Otters were delivered to the Tanzanian Air Force but never entered service. Instead, these aircraft stayed in Canada and remained at Camp Borden for training purposes for the Tanzanian Air Force personnel. By 1969, Otter JW 9108, as 929KT was known at the time, was packed into a crate and ready to ship to Tanzania, however, it never made it and was sent back to de Havilland Canada for intended disposal.
JW 9108 was never disposed of and in 1971, the Otter was sold to Athabaska Airways of Saskatchewan alongside its sibling, our friend 636KT. They reassembled the crated almost unflown Otter and registering it as CF-ZKW where it flew for 20 years. In 1992, CF-ZKW was sold to Contact Charts of Alberta, before being sold again to Deh Cho Air of Northwest Territories in 1994 to support reforestation and to take tourists into Nahanni National Park.
CF-ZKW was involved in a bit of controversy when Deh Cho Air was subject to a criminal investigation in the summer of 1995. Alberta Game Warden noted that Deh Cho Air received a maximum fine of $2000 and was charged with hunting from a vehicle and transporting unlawfully killed wildlife after officers seized a cow moose hide from CF-ZKW after sources revealed that the moose had been shot from the floats of the taxying aircraft while the cow was swimming. After the controversy, CF-ZKW continued flying with Deh Cho Air until an accident in 1997 when the aircraft contacted the water surface prematurely and struck a gravel bar that ended Deh Cho Air’s Otter operations.
September 1999, CF-ZKW was sent for rebuild, including a turbine conversion, and then in 2000 sold to Pantechnicon Aviation of Nevada and registered as N271PA. As Pantechnicon was a leasing company, Otter N271PA was leased to Pro Mech Air of Ketchikan, Alaska.
After a couple years flying for Pro Mech Air, the Otter joined our fleet in 2003 sold to Rust Air and was registered as 929KT where it has remained the last 21 years.
Reference: https://www.dhc-3archive.com