Accident Overview
On August 19, 2022, at about 1700 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, registration N587FL, was substantially damaged during an accident near Marathon, Florida. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Pilot Account
The pilot reported that after takeoff, the airplane was not climbing as expected. While below 500 ft mean sea level (msl), he decided to return to the airport. The engine sounded like it was “running fine,” but the airplane was “just not climbing.” At about 300 to 400 ft msl, the engine lost all power. The wings began to wobble, and the pilot felt the airplane was beginning to stall. He pitched down and, unable to reach the runway, performed a forced landing to shallow salt water approximately one mile north of the airport.
Postaccident Examination
Examination revealed substantial damage to the wings and vertical stabilizer. The engine remained secured to its mounts with all accessories attached; salt water was present in the engine. About 7 quarts of oil and 1 quart of salt water were drained. Borescope inspection showed saltwater corrosion in all cylinders. Fuel and oil lines were secure; fuel was drained from the gascolator bowl, which contained sand but no debris in the filter. All eight spark plugs were tested; four were nonfunctional (2T, 3T, 4T, 4B), three of which were connected to the left magneto. The right magneto produced spark on all leads, while the left magneto produced spark intermittently and was disassembled to verify points operation. Four days prior, a 100-hour inspection had been completed, noting “cleaned and gapped spark plugs.” The mechanical fuel pump functioned normally. The electric fuel pump filter was free of debris and contained AVGAS, but no fuel was found in the lines from the pump. The engine rotated manually with thumb compression on all cylinders.
Upon recovery, the fuel selector was turned to the left tank, magnetos set to “Both,” ignition master switch ON, and electric fuel pump switch OFF. According to the Pilot’s Operating Handbook, the electric fuel pump should be ON for takeoff, landing, and loss of engine power emergency procedures. The fuel mixture was in full rich and throttle at idle.
Previous Incident
The pilot was involved in another accident about a year earlier, in January 2021, involving a loss of power shortly after takeoff. At that time, he reported 200 total hours of flight experience. On an application for a medical certificate dated October 2021, he reported 211 total hours. He did not complete the NTSB 6120.1 form or provide documentation of his flight experience. The pilot stated his logbook and iPad were onboard and lost during the accident. The airplane remained submerged in saltwater until recovery the following day. According to local law enforcement and FAA officials, the pilot returned to the accident site after dark, after first responders had cleared the scene, and dove to recover his belongings from the submerged airplane.