Accident Details
Approximately two minutes after departure, the passenger observed that one of the engines began to run rough. Moments later, after the pilot attempted to switch the fuel selector, the second engine lost power. The aircraft subsequently impacted the water, causing the cabin windows to blow out.
Sequence of Events
The passenger successfully exited the airplane and then assisted the pilot in getting out of the aircraft and onto the wing. After about 30 minutes, the airplane began to sink in approximately 200 feet of water. This prompted the passenger to begin swimming to shore, a distance of about one-half mile. The passenger attempted to persuade the pilot to swim to shore; the pilot did so initially but after a short period communicated that he could not continue. The passenger was subsequently rescued, but the pilot did not survive and was recovered a short time later.
Background
The day prior to the accident, the pilot had picked up the airplane from a repair facility. He flew three 20-mile legs: from the repair facility to his home, back to the repair facility, and then back to his home, shuttling his family and their luggage. After arriving at his home base, a family member asked him how he felt about the airplane; the pilot responded, "fine." The pilot did not report any anomalies with the airplane or engines prior to the accident flight that would have precluded normal operations. An attempt to locate and recover the airplane was not successful.