Piper PA-28-181 N4148X

Summary

On 21 November 1999 at about 05:31 local time, a Piper PA-28-181 registered N4148X was involved in an accident near Hilo, Hawaii, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 November 1999 at 05:31

Classification

Accident

Location

Hilo, Hawaii, United States

Coordinates

19.6894, -155.0800

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-181

Registration

N4148X

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Santa Barbara → Hilo

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX00LA039

2 people had minor injuries.

An oil starvation induced failure and seizure of the engine. The reasons for the oil starvation event are undetermined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot ditched the airplane at sea following the failure and seizure of the engine. The FAA had issued a special airworthiness certificate for a ferry flight for the new airplane on November 15, 1999. The airplane had been modified with a special 110-gallon synthetic fuel bladder located behind the pilot's seat. The airplane took off at 0630 PST for the trans Pacific flight to Hawaii, and eventually Sydney, Australia. The pilot said that the flight was normal until they were approximately 600 nautical miles from Hilo, when they noticed a gradual loss of oil pressure accompanied by an increasing oil temperature. The pilot called the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance and they launched an airplane to provide an escort towards Hilo. The pilot stated that the engine seized when they were approximately 340 miles from Hilo. A complete loss of oil pressure and a knocking sound from the engine preceded the seizure. A merchant ship rescued the pilot and his passenger after they spent about 10 hours in the ocean. The pilot stated that the airplane had undergone a 50-hour inspection, and that it had about 35-38 hours total time on it when it sank.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.