What happened
During a flight approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes into its duration, an aircraft experienced a loss of engine power while 120 nautical miles from its destination. The pilot reported that weather conditions were generally good, though isolated showers required a descent from 5,000 feet to 2,500 feet to maintain Visual Flight Rules (VFR) conditions. Additionally, the aircraft had deviated approximately 5 nautical miles from its planned route due to encountering north winds of 45 mph for a period of 20 nautical miles.
Because the pilot could not establish direct radio contact with Air Traffic Control (ATC), the emergency was communicated via another aircraft. ATC radar placed the aircraft's position at 100 nautical miles from Key West. During the descent to ditch in the water, the engine briefly restarted, allowing the pilot to climb to 4,500 feet; however, the pilot was unable to maintain this altitude.
The pilot continued flying for approximately 40 nautical miles before observing a military aircraft circling and a freighter on the surface of the water. The pilot subsequently ditched the aircraft in the ocean. While a freighter passed the scene, the military aircraft continued to circle the area. The pilot deployed a life raft, and the aircraft sank. After roughly 20 minutes, the pilot was rescued by a United States Coast Guard aircraft approximately 60 nautical miles from Key West. The aircraft was not recovered.
At the time of the accident, winds at Key West were reported from 080 degrees at 9 knots, gusting to 18 knots.