History of the flight
The Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six, G-BBSM, was on a private flight from Donaueschingen-Villingen, Germany, to Hardwick, England, at FL060 in visual meteorological conditions. At the start of the sea crossing, the pilot briefed the passenger on ditching procedures. Approximately 17 nautical miles from the English coast, both occupants noticed a burning smell and opened the cabin air vents and direct vision window to clear the fumes. The smell and smoke persisted, and the engine began running roughly with elevated exhaust gas temperature, prompting the pilot to reduce power. The pilot declared a MAYDAY to London Information and prepared to ditch, as sea conditions were favorable and a glide to the coast appeared unlikely.
Ditching and evacuation
The pilot reminded the passenger of ditching procedures, including delaying life raft inflation, and wedged the cabin door slightly open. Concerned about a possible engine fire, he shut the engine down by closing the throttle and selecting the mixture and fuel selector to off. During descent, he considered reaching land but decided to continue with the planned ditching due to good sea conditions and nearby boats. He turned into the wind and focused on touchdown. In the stress of the event, he omitted to deploy flaps and select the master and ignition switches to off. The aircraft touched down in a wings-level attitude. The pilot described the impact as violent with rapid deceleration, and the aircraft settled nose-down. Water ingress into the cabin was faster than expected. The occupants egress was slightly impeded by cables and headset leads, but they managed to get onto the wing and deploy the life raft. The raft's drogue became temporarily entangled but was freed before the aircraft sank.
Discussion
The aircraft was not recovered, so the cause of the burning smell and other symptoms could not be determined. The pilot, who had flown the route previously, regularly reviewed emergency ditching procedures. He adhered to his original decision to ditch, considering that restarting the engine or stretching the glide might have been less successful. The risk of fire was a significant factor in his decision. The pilot noted that regular flying, continual education, reviewing accident reports, and attending safety seminars help prepare pilots for such situations. The CAA Safety Sense Leaflet 21 on ditching is recommended reading for overwater flights.