What happened
During a flight over the ocean, the pilot noticed an odor resembling something burning. Shortly after detecting this smell, the engine experienced a complete loss of power. Despite the mechanical failure, the pilot was able to glide the aircraft toward land. He managed to bring it down in the water approximately half a mile from the shore. The aircraft was later recovered from the ocean.
The investigation
A post-accident examination of the recovered aircraft revealed significant damage to the engine compartment. Investigators found that the left exhaust stack had failed. This failure allowed hot exhaust gases to escape into the engine compartment, which resulted in a fire within that area.
Findings
The investigation determined that the primary issue was the failure of the left exhaust stack. The escaping exhaust gases ignited a fire in the engine compartment, leading to the loss of engine power. This sequence of events forced the pilot to execute an emergency ditching at sea. The aircraft sustained substantial damage but was successfully recovered.
Safety message
Regular inspection of exhaust systems is critical to prevent failures that can lead to engine compartment fires and subsequent loss of power.