History of the Flight
On 13 March 2021, a Tecnam P2008-JC registered F-ORVY operated by Centre Polynésien de Perfectionnement au Pilotage (C3P) disappeared off the coast of Tahiti, French Polynesia. The pilot, a 17-year-old student training for a Private Pilot License, was alone on board. He was not authorized to conduct the flight; he had filed a flight plan under a false name.
The pilot took off from Tahiti-Faa’a airport at approximately 16:40 local time, flew to Moorea-Temae airport where he performed a full-stop landing, and departed again at 16:59 heading toward the Taiarapu Peninsula. At 17:08, F-ORVY vanished from the controller's radar display. Radar coverage in the sector does not detect aircraft below 1,000 ft. The aircraft never reappeared.
At 17:17, the controller asked the pilot if he was passing abeam Taravao; the pilot confirmed. At 17:30, the pilot reported his position at 1,000 ft off Papara. Shortly after, a local resident reported seeing the aircraft flying extremely low—between 100 and 150 ft over the sea at Papara. The controller asked the pilot to respect a minimum height of 500 ft, and the pilot acknowledged. At 17:36, the controller requested confirmation of altitude; no response was received. Further attempts to contact the pilot by the controller and another aircraft were unsuccessful. No emergency message was sent.
Wreckage and Search
Despite extensive sea and land search operations, neither the aircraft wreckage nor the pilot were found. The last recorded position from the pilot's mobile phone, at 17:46, was approximately 10 nautical miles south of the Taiarapu Peninsula.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The Tecnam P2008, constructed in 2014, was equipped with a 100 hp Rotax 912 S2 engine. It had logged 26 hours and 50 minutes since its last maintenance inspection on 26 February 2021. No maintenance issues were identified that could have contributed to the accident. The amount of fuel on board could not be determined.
The pilot had logged approximately 50 flight hours, 17.5 hours solo. He was considered a good and diligent student. He had scheduled his final solo cross-country flight six times but cancelled each time; the last cancellation was in January 2021 due to a transponder problem. He cancelled all future scheduled flights before this flight. At the training organization, aircraft were left unlocked with keys on board, allowing the pilot easy access.
Meteorological Conditions
Météo-France reported that the area was under a dry, undisturbed trade wind on 13 March 2021. Conditions over southeast Tahiti at the time of the disappearance were east to southeast light to moderate wind with few clouds.
Conclusions
The investigation was unable to determine why the pilot and aircraft went missing. However, the description of the pilot's state of mind, the circumstances of the flight, and the observed maneuvers suggested that he intentionally took risks.