What happened
During a long-distance ferry flight traveling from Los Angeles toward New Zealand, the aircraft followed a route via Hilo and Papeete, Tahiti. While the flight was cruising at an altitude of 1,500 meters, the crew identified technical issues involving the left engine. In response to these complications, the decision was made to divert the flight to Christmas Island.
As the flight progressed, the left engine suffered a complete failure. Due to the high weight of the aircraft, which was carrying a heavy fuel load required for the Pacific crossing, the crew found it impossible to sustain a safe flying altitude. Consequently, the pilot executed a ditching maneuver approximately 150 km north of Christmas Island. The aircraft subsequently sank about four hours after the incident.
Findings
- The primary reason the crew could not maintain altitude following the engine failure was the excessive weight of the aircraft caused by the heavy fuel load.
- All eight occupants of the aircraft survived the incident and were recovered by the crew of a merchant vessel eight hours after the ditching.