Originally Posted by
First_Principal
Although a DC-3 will fly on one engine it's not great. At MAUW with a good engine developing rated power climb rate at ISA+20C is just 14FPM with a windmilling prop on the failed engine. If you manage to get that useless prop feathered you might get a little under 200fpm, but add in a few other variables (including the remaining engine not producing rated power) and the only way is down :-(
Looking at the accident report the aircraft was ~1250lbs overweight at the time of the engine failure. With that AUW it doesn't take much deterioration to end up with no positive climb rate at all. And at 81 kts the report states that already at 500lbs less than this no positive climb rate is to be expected anymore.unless everything is in optimum condition and all parameters being in optimum range. Together with the fact that the overweight situation was not known to the crew and thus wouldn't have been considered in the speeds the outcome seems pretty inevitable.
That said I do read more ciriticsism in the BASI report regarding operations of the whole outfit, of lack CAA oversight and of the operator and (check-/training) pilot for not thoroughly enough checking the credentials of the Co, the omission of a detailed weighing of freight and pax although being very close to MTOW and not taking over quickly enough from a Co with unclear asymmetry training state and who apparently applied visibly unsuitable correction technique (applying massive aileron). I do not see any condemnation of the PIC's flying itself. Rather the contrary.
How out of this report someone took such significant action against said Pilot in Command is somewhat of a mystery to me. I have seen lots and lots of much, much more condemning reports where the pilots haven't been grounded for good.