History of Flight
On November 24, 2011, at approximately 1223 UTC, a Piper PA-46-350P, registration N534P, operated by Boeck & Boeck Incorporated, was substantially damaged during a ditching in the Caribbean Sea. The accident occurred about 119 nautical miles west of Fort de France, Martinique, following a loss of engine power during cruise flight. The certificated commercial pilot and his pilot-rated passenger received serious injuries.
The flight departed Rafael Hernandez Airport (TJBQ), Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, destined for Maurice Bishop International Airport (TGPY), St. George's, Grenada. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed for the ferry flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the pilot, he had recently sold the airplane and was ferrying it on a multiple-leg flight to the new owner in Brazil. During the leg from TJBQ to TGPY, they climbed to 27,000 feet (Flight Level 270). While cruising over open water at FL270, about 40 minutes from TGPY, the airspeed began to decrease, engine torque dropped from 937 ft-lbs to 0, the engine vibrated, and smoke emanated from the engine. The pilot reduced power to idle, feathered the propeller, shut off the fuel condition lever and firewall fuel shutoff, alerted Piarco ARTCC, and turned toward Martinique. He activated the 406 ELT and glided toward land. An engine restart attempt caused immediate smoke and vibration, so the pilot terminated it. The passenger moved aft, both donned life vests, the passenger prepared the life raft and emergency equipment, and the pilot instructed him to open the top half of the main cabin door before impact.
Just before touchdown, the pilot observed choppy water with waves about 6 feet high. The airplane impacted tail-first at stall speed, bounced three times, and came to rest on the surface. The pilot hit his head during impact. After unstrapping, he saw the raft had deployed in the cabin, trapping the passenger. They pushed the raft out the main cabin door and exited. The pilot attempted to close the door but abandoned it to assist the passenger. Both boarded the life raft, and the airplane sank approximately 15 minutes later.
French authorities reported that Piarco ARTCC contacted the French Navy and Martinique ATC after the pilot declared the emergency at 1206. A commuter aircraft, a French navy airplane, and a French navy helicopter were vectored to the location. At 1223 the airplane was considered down; the first aircraft arrived overhead at 1308, and the helicopter arrived at 1355. Both occupants were sling-lifted and flown to Fort de France.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, single-engine sea, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane, as well as a flight instructor certificate with single-engine and instrument ratings. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was dated September 1, 2011. He reported 2,175 total flight hours, including 643 hours in the accident airplane make and model.
Aircraft Information
The accident aircraft was a six-seat, single-engine, low-wing, pressurized airplane of conventional metal construction, originally manufactured by Piper Aircraft in 2007 as a PA-46-350P. It had retractable landing gear and was converted to a JetProp DLX configuration in June 2011, replacing the original engine with a 750 shaft horsepower Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-35 turboprop engine. At the time of conversion, the airplane had 200.7 total hours; at the accident, the engine had approximately 15 hours of operation.
Meteorological Information
Weather at TJBQ at 1050: wind 110° at 4 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky clear, temperature 22°C, dew point 20°C, altimeter 30.00 inHg. Weather at TFFF at 1200: wind 060° at 4 knots, visibility 4 miles in light rain, scattered clouds at 1,000 ft, scattered at 3,000 ft, broken at 4,300 ft, temperature 24°C, dew point 24°C, altimeter 29.94 inHg.
Additional Information
Fueling: The FBO at TJBQ topped off the airplane with 126 gallons of Jet A; the pilot did not request fuel icing additive. The airplane was not equipped with fuel heaters. FBO fuel quality tests showed no anomalies.
Weight: Maximum ramp weight per the POH/AFM was 4,358 pounds, maximum takeoff weight 4,340 pounds. The pilot stated he departed at 4,650 pounds.
Climb and Cruise: Radar showed climb to 27,000 feet in about 27 minutes (average 1,000 fpm). The POH/AFM provided no performance data for the declared takeoff weight. Fuel burn during climb was estimated at 16 gallons, giving a top-of-climb weight of about 4,543 pounds. The pilot reported cruise torque of about 937 ft-lbs; the passenger reported about 980 ft-lbs. Both exceeded maximum torque listed on the maximum cruise performance chart.
Engine Power Management: According to Pratt & Whitney Canada Document 09-1331, the POH/AFM contains power setting information that must be used to determine torque settings. Operating beyond recommended power settings for prolonged periods can accelerate margin deterioration and affect engine reliability and durability.
Route: The pilot chose a direct route from TJBQ to TGPY rather than staying near island chains. He stated it was a judgment call and a calculated risk, as he would later fly over jungle. Aeronautical charts showed multiple landing areas available if the route had been planned to remain within gliding distance of shore. The POH/AFM indicated that with a feathered propeller and engine stopped, the airplane could glide about 2 miles per 1,000 feet of altitude, allowing approximately 54 miles of glide.