History of the Flight
On 22 February 2016, a Piper PA23 Aztec, registered N539EG, departed from Saint-François airport in Guadeloupe for a VFR ferry flight to Pointe-à-Pitre-Le Raizet airport. The pilot, who was the only person on board, had just taken off following a scheduled maintenance inspection. Shortly after retracting the landing gear and flaps, he initiated a right turn and noticed a nose-down tendency. He attempted to use the electrical pitch trim control but without success. He then searched for the manual pitch trim control with his right hand but could not locate it. As altitude decreased, he placed both hands on the control wheel to counter the nose-down moment, but the load increased, requiring both hands. He was unable to stop the descent and continued the right turn over Saint-François bay to avoid boats and dwellings. Witnesses observed the aircraft violently strike the lagoon surface and sink. The pilot was ejected from the cockpit with his seat during impact. After the impact, he released his seat harness and clung to the floating seat until rescued by a pleasure boat.
Additional Information
Context of the Flight
The pilot had flown to the Saint-François maintenance workshop earlier that day in a Piper PA32. The operator of N539EG, SOTRADOM, asked him to ferry the aircraft back to Pointe-à-Pitre, as it was scheduled for an own-account flight later that day.
Aerodrome Information
Saint-François airport has a 600 m paved runway 11/29. The published procedure for takeoff from runway 11 requires holding the centerline up to 500 ft before a right turn to 1,000 ft to avoid flying over a residential area along the coast.
Meteorological Information
At 15:00, the METAR for Pointe-à-Pitre, 27 km away, indicated a south-easterly wind of 10 kt, visibility greater than 10 km, and scattered clouds at 3,400 ft. Conditions were suitable for VFR flight.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was found in the sea at a depth of about nine meters, 1,200 m from the threshold of runway 29. Examination revealed the aircraft was complete on impact; the right wing struck first with high energy; engines were providing power; landing gear was retracted; and the fuselage broke up. The pilot's seat was torn from the floor and ejected forward. Damage prevented determination of flap position or pitch trim at impact. No anomalies prior to the occurrence were observed.
Avionics Computer
The aircraft was equipped with a GA-EGPWS KGP 560. Data from this system, combined with statements, showed the flight path. Shortly before impact, ground speed exceeded 180 kt.
Aircraft Information
N539EG was a twin-engine Piper PA23 built in 1975, with Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 engines. It had logged 5,587 flight hours. The manual pitch and rudder trim controls were located on the overhead panel. The electrical pitch trim system had been deactivated months earlier due to avionics upgrades, but the pilot was not informed of this deactivation. The flight manual checklists require checking the pitch trim position during preflight and before takeoff.
Maintenance Information
The aircraft underwent a scheduled 100-hour inspection and additional work at Bretagne Aéro Services' Saint-François workshop. The pitch trim control cables were checked during maintenance, requiring full deflection. The mechanic did not recall repositioning the trim to the "Take-off" position afterward, though this was considered best practice but not explicitly required by the manual.
Pilot Information
The 65-year-old pilot held a valid FAA professional pilot license with multi-engine and instrument ratings. He had logged 7,104 total flight hours, including 2,351 on multi-engine aircraft and several hundred on the PA23. He had flown 99 hours in the previous six months, all on a Beech 90. He was a former regular pilot on N539EG but had only occasionally flown PA23s recently.