Piper PA-31-350 N27659
10 April 1997 · Pacific Ocean · No injuries
Summary
On 10 April 1997 at about 17:06 local time, a Piper PA-31-350 registered N27659, operated by Pilot Services Intl, was involved in an accident near Pacific Ocean. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:06
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Pacific Ocean
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350
- Registration
- N27659
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Pilot Services Intl
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Ferry
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Hilo → Hayward
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX97LA154
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The loss of engine power in one engine for undetermined reasons. A factor in the accident was the aircraft's diminished single engine performance during the early portion of the overweight ferry flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The aircraft was being operated on a trans-Pacific ferry flight. A special flight permit authorized a gross weight increase and ferry fuel tanks had been installed along with long range communication and navigation radios. The pilot reported that when 85 miles from the departure airport, the right engine failed and he was unable to restart it. Power from the remaining engine was insufficient to maintain level flight at the overweight condition and the pilot permitted the aircraft to drift down until it was necessary to ditch in the ocean 28 miles offshore. The pilot had departed and returned to Hawaii twice previously. The first time he returned due to an oil leak on the left engine, and the second time because of a loose window. A mechanic who repaired the window reported that the left engine appeared to still be leaking oil. Both pilots told the FAA inspector that the oil leak had been repaired.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-31 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Nov 1997 | Piper PA-31-T3 | Tyonek, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Dec 1997 | Piper PA-31-350 | Walker Cay, Bahamas | Amelia Airways, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 1997 | Piper PA-31-350 | Denver, Colorado, United States | American Check Transport, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1997 | Piper PA-31-350 | Hayden, Colorado, United States | Flight Line, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 15 Mar 1997 | Piper PA-31-350 | Kotzebue, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Mar 1997 | Piper PA-31-350 | Nome, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |