What happened
On June 8, 2012, a Piper PA-31-325, registration N174BH, departed from South St Paul Municipal Airport-Richard E Fleming Field (SGS) in Minnesota. The flight was intended to be a maintenance test flight following the replacement of one of the aircraft's two engines, with a planned duration of approximately four hours to facilitate the engine break-in process. The flight was operated under Part 91 regulations by Family Celebrations LLC.
Radar data from multiple ground-based sources tracked the aircraft departing the airport at approximately 1307 central daylight time. After an initial maneuver to the east of the airport, the pilot turned north toward Duluth. The aircraft then proceeded to follow the western shoreline of Lake Superior, maintaining a distance of roughly 0.5 miles from the coast at a pressure altitude of 2,800 feet. As the aircraft approached the area of Two Harbors, Minnesota, it began a descent. The final radar contact occurred at 1427, placing the aircraft approximately 30 miles northeast of Duluth at an uncorrected pressure altitude of 1,600 feet.
Following the aircraft's failure to return as scheduled, an alert was issued at approximately 2225. Despite involvement from the United States Coast Guard, the Civil Air Patrol, and the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, the aircraft and the pilot remained unlocated. Search operations were eventually terminated on July 4, 2012. The aircraft is presumed to have crashed during the flight.
Findings
- No flight plan was filed for the mission.
- The aircraft was operating under visual meteorological conditions at the time of departure.