Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA32 near Oakland Park, FL — 2017-12-13

Final reportERA18LA062
Sign in to save
Date
2017-12-13
Location
Oakland Park, FL, USA
Airport
FXE
Aircraft
PIPER PA32
Registration
C6RVT
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.

NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot indicated that he performed a preflight inspection with no anomalies noted and that the inboard fuel tanks were full of fuel and the outboard tanks contained about 1/4 fuel, which totaled about 60 gallons. According to the pilot, after departure, he initiated a left turn and reduced the engine power to "climb power"; soon after, the engine started to lose power. It "intermittently came back," and the pilot applied full power and requested to return to the airport. He started to set up an approach but realized that the airplane would not reach the airport; he landed the airplane in a lake just to the south, and the airplane sank. An engine examination revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The examination noted that the cabin of the airplane contained multiple household items that nearly reached the ceiling of the cabin; however, the items could not be accurately weighed after the airplane was submerged in water. When discussing the accident sequence with the pilot, he stated that he did not perform a weight and balance calculation with the contents of the airplane before takeoff. Based on the available evidence, the investigation could not determine the cause of the loss of engine power or if the airplane's weight and balance impacted the takeoff performance.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not perform a weight and balance calculation before takeoff.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 7 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents7

Related mishaps