Accident Overview
On July 17, 2011, about 1625 eastern daylight time, a Cessna U206G, registration N910TA, operated by Waters Aero Marine, Inc., doing business as Penobscot Island Air, ditched in the ocean near Matinicus Island Airport (35ME), Matinicus Island, Maine. The flight was an on-demand air taxi operation conducted under 14 CFR Part 135. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company flight plan was filed. The flight had originated from 35ME about 1623, destined for Knox County Regional Airport (KRKD), Rockland, Maine.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot, the departure occurred in good weather with light wind. No abnormal indications were noted during the takeoff roll. At approximately 200 feet into the climb, as the pilot reduced power to climb setting, the engine began to lose power. He immediately advanced the throttle and activated the auxiliary fuel pump, but the engine failed to respond. Total power loss occurred, and the pilot ditched the airplane into the ocean. All four occupants exited the aircraft before it sank, clinging to a section of the belly cargo pod that separated during impact.
When the flight failed to report on the company frequency as required by the operator's General Operations Manual (GOM), a search and rescue operation was initiated. At about 1655, an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was detected. At 1724, a search plane located the pilot and three passengers in the water. At 1737, all were rescued by a fishing boat and taken ashore for medical attention. The pilot and two passengers sustained minor injuries; the third passenger suffered serious injuries. The airplane sustained substantial damage.
Pilot Information
The pilot held an Airline Transport Pilot certificate with ratings for airplane multiengine land, airplane single-engine land and sea, and rotorcraft helicopter, including type ratings for B-757, B-767, and BH-212. He also held a flight instructor certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine and instrument airplane. The pilot reported 25,300 total flight hours, with 1,000 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane. His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on May 24, 2010.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna U206G was a six-place, all-metal, high-wing, single-engine airplane with fixed landing gear and a variable-pitch propeller. Its serial number was U20604102, manufactured in 1978, and issued a standard airworthiness certificate in the normal category. The engine was a Continental IO-520-F, 300-horsepower, with a McCauley three-bladed propeller. The airplane was equipped with a belly cargo pod and extended-range fuel tanks with a total capacity of 80 gallons (78 usable). The engine was overhauled on June 29, 2009, and its last inspection was on July 7, 2011, at 1,244.9 hours since major overhaul. The airframe's last inspection was also on July 7, 2011, at 10,434.6 hours total time; at the time of the accident, total time was 10,437 hours.
Wreckage Recovery and Examination
The wreckage was recovered five days after the accident from an estimated ocean floor depth of 80 feet and taken to a storage facility under FAA oversight. The left and right fuel tank filler caps were secured. The fuel selector was found in the right tank position. Approximately 25 gallons of seawater was drained from the right fuel tank, with about a pint of aviation fuel observed. Approximately 27 gallons of aviation fuel and about two gallons of seawater were drained from the left tank. The fuselage reservoir sump tanks were filled with seawater. No fuel slick was observed on the water's surface during recovery.
An examination by the airframe and engine manufacturer with FAA oversight confirmed flight control continuity and no preimpact airframe discrepancies that would have prevented normal operation. The engine exhibited impact damage and saltwater submersion corrosion. The alternator, propeller governor, fuel pump, vacuum pump, and upper spark plugs were removed for inspection. Corrosion prevented rotational continuity confirmation of accessory gears, valve train, cylinders, fuel system, ignition system, and induction system. Visual inspection did not reveal any abnormalities that would have prevented normal operation.
Fuel Analysis
According to information from the pilot and operator, the airplane began the day's schedule with an estimated 60 gallons of fuel; an additional 10 gallons were serviced prior to the flight to 35ME. The airplane flew five flights totaling 2.7 hours before the accident. Using the Cessna Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) performance charts indicating fuel consumption of 16 gallons per hour, plus two gallons for taxi and takeoff and one gallon to climb to 2,000 feet per flight, the total fuel consumption was 58.2 gallons. Adding the recovered fuel (27 gallons) yields a total of 85.2 gallons. Due to operator information, an exact amount of onboard fuel and quantities for each tank could not be determined.
Safety Briefing Issues
The operator's FAA-approved GOM (Section 10, Passenger Handling) required the pilot to provide an oral safety briefing before each takeoff, including the location of onboard survival equipment, and a safety information card accessible to passengers. However, passenger interviews revealed that no safety briefing was given before the accident flight, and none of the passengers were aware that life vests or the safety information card were on board.
Post-Accident Operator Changes
In response to the accident, the operator implemented several changes to its GOM: revised fleet fueling procedures and fuel quantity tracking; guidance on timing of initial engine power reduction after takeoff; revised the onboard passenger briefing card; mandated pilots to read aloud a pre-takeoff briefing referencing the card; modified ELT systems in all fleet aircraft to enable cockpit activation; equipped fleet aircraft with emergency egress air bailout bottles; required all company pilots to attend offshore survival training; and offered Mustang personal flotation devices (PFDs) to passengers.
No probable cause was determined by this report.