Incident
On July 8, 2001, at approximately 1345 local time (0245 UTC), a Pilatus PC-12/45, registration N660NR, was presumed destroyed after ditching in the Sea of Okhotsk, Western Pacific Ocean. The aircraft was registered to a US private owner and operated by Jeflyn Aviation, Inc., doing business as Access Air. The pilot, a US certificated airline transport rated pilot, sustained minor injuries, while the three Japanese passengers were uninjured.
The flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 as a business trip, returning to the United States following a round-the-world journey. It had departed Hakodate, Japan, at 0910 local time, destined for Magadan, Russia. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan had been filed and activated.
Emergency Descent
According to the pilot's telephonic interview, the aircraft was established in cruise at 8,100 meters altitude when he felt a vibration, followed by a rapid increase in the engine's Turbine Temperature Indication (TTI). The TTI reached 1144 degrees, during which a compressor stall occurred. The pilot shut down the engine, feathered the propeller, and initiated a power-off emergency descent.
During the descent, the pilot broadcast a mayday on 121.5 MHz, set the transponder to code 7700, and manually activated the emergency locator beacon. The aircraft descended through multiple cloud layers while the pilot and passengers prepared for ditching.
Ditching and Rescue
The pilot reported that upon breaking through the bottom of the last overcast layer at 100 feet above the water, he observed swells of approximately 8–12 feet in height. He ditched the aircraft on the crest of a swell, and the aircraft came to a stop floating in an upright, level attitude. All four occupants exited through the main cabin door into a life raft.
Over several hours, the occupants lost sight of the floating aircraft. After approximately 15 hours, they were picked up by a Russian container ship and airlifted to Sakhalin Island.