What happened
On 10 November 2023, a Cessna 421C, registered VH-VPY, departed from the Sunshine Coast Airport in Queensland, Australia. The aircraft was being operated on an international ferry mission destined for Oakland, California, with a planned intermediate stop in Pago Pago, American Samoa. To facilitate the long-distance flight over the Pacific, the aircraft was equipped with extra fuel tanks for the journey.
Roughly 50 minutes into the flight, the crew experienced a failure of the left engine. In response to the malfunction, the pilots attempted to return to the Sunshine Coast Airport. However, during this return phase, the crew determined that the aircraft could not sustain its altitude. Based on the observed rate of descent, the pilots calculated that the plane would not reach the runway.
After informing air traffic control of the situation, the pilots decided to perform a ditching. The crew chose to deviate from the manufacturer's recommended ditching procedures, instead configuring the aircraft to prevent a nose-down impact and reducing airspeed prior to hitting the water. Following the impact, both occupants were able to exit the aircraft through the rear door. A rescue helicopter located the crew 32 minutes after the ditching, and both pilots were rescued without injury. The aircraft subsequently sank and remains unrecovered.
Findings
- The primary cause of the emergency was a failure of the left engine during the flight.
- The crew opted to ignore manufacturer-recommended ditching configurations in favor of maintaining a level attitude and lower speed.