Incident Overview
The pilot of a newly manufactured airplane ditched the aircraft at sea after the engine failed and seized. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had issued a special airworthiness certificate for a ferry flight on November 15, 1999. The airplane was modified with a 110-gallon synthetic fuel bladder installed behind the pilot's seat.
Flight Details
The flight departed at 0630 Pacific Standard Time on a trans-Pacific journey with planned stops in Hawaii and eventually Sydney, Australia. According to the pilot, the flight proceeded normally until the aircraft was approximately 600 nautical miles from Hilo, when a gradual loss of oil pressure accompanied by rising oil temperature was noticed. The pilot contacted the U.S. Coast Guard, which launched an aircraft to escort the distressed plane toward Hilo.
When the airplane was about 340 miles from Hilo, the engine seized. The pilot reported that a complete loss of oil pressure and a knocking sound from the engine preceded the seizure. The aircraft was then ditched at sea.
Rescue
A merchant ship rescued the pilot and his passenger after they spent approximately 10 hours in the ocean. The pilot stated that the airplane had undergone a 50-hour inspection and had accumulated about 35–38 total flight hours at the time it sank.