Piper PA23 N1153P

Summary

On 9 March 2015 at about 16:00 local time, a Piper PA23 registered N1153P, operated by Pesquera Rafael A, was involved in an accident near San Juan, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 March 2015 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

San Juan, United States

Nearest airport

Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci (SIG)

Coordinates

18.4592, -66.0817

Aircraft

Piper PA23

Registration

N1153P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1955

Engines

2

Operator

Pesquera Rafael A

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

San Juan → St. Thomas

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA151

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of right engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the commercial pilot, before departing for the personal flight, he had the airplane fueled with a total of 50 gallons of 100LL aviation fuel (25 gallons of fuel in each wing tank). He then performed an engine run-up and noted that all parameters were "normal." After the airplane became airborne, it obtained a positive climb rate of 500 ft per minute. When the airplane reached about 300 ft above ground level, the right engine experienced a total loss of power. The pilot subsequently feathered the propeller but noticed that the airplane was unable to maintain altitude, so he performed an emergency landing to a lagoon. A postaccident examination of the right engine confirmed crankshaft continuity; however, two of the four cylinders exhibited low compression ratios. The right engine-driven fuel pump, carburetor, and fuel selector were disassembled and examined, and corrosion was noted in all of the components. It could not be determined if the corrosion was a result of the airplane being submerged in salt water after the accident or if it was present before the accident. Wreckage examination and component testing did not reveal a mechanical reason for the partial power loss. The reported weather conditions were conducive to serious carburetor icing at glide power; however, the engine was operating at a high power setting for takeoff; therefore, it is unlikely that carburetor ice caused the total loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.