Pilot Debrief

Piper PA46 near Gulf of Mexico — 2019-09-15

Final reportCEN19TA321
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Date
2019-09-15
Location
Gulf of Mexico, USA
Aircraft
Piper PA46
Registration
N218MW
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during a cross-country flight, he descended the airplane from 10,500 ft to 1,500 ft, then configured the airplane for a climb; however, the engine did not respond to the application of power and the airplane began losing altitude. After performing the emergency checklist, the pilot was not able to restore power to the engine. The pilot declared an emergency, activated the emergency locator transmitter, and ditched the airplane in the water. The airplane sank and was not recovered, thus the reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have checked engine performance before descent.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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