Aircraft and Flight
The aircraft was a Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk, registration G-BOLF, with one Lycoming O-235-L2C piston engine. It was manufactured in 1979. The flight was a private navigation trip, with only the pilot on board.
History of Flight
The pilot arrived at Durham Tees Valley Airport at about 1400 hrs on 17 October 2008. He departed from Runway 23 at 1452 hrs, then turned south‑east and climbed to 1,500 ft. He obtained a Flight Information Service and was cleared to climb to not above 4,000 ft. Later, the radar controller observed the aircraft at 1,300 ft over the Whitby area. At about 1515 hrs, another pilot heard a MAYDAY call: “Mayday Mayday Mayday Oscar Foxtrot forced landing”. The controller did not hear the call but was informed by the relaying pilot. Attempts to contact G‑BOLF were unsuccessful. The controller passed the last known position to the assisting pilot, who searched but found nothing.
Engine Failure and Ditching
The aircraft suffered a loss of engine power while over the sea off the North Yorkshire coast. The pilot transmitted a MAYDAY and attempted to ditch. According to witness information, the aircraft was initially above cliff top height, descended gently toward the sea, then just above the surface a wingtip dropped and entered the water, causing a cartwheel and inversion before sinking.
Witness Accounts
A witness at Robin Hood’s Bay heard the engine increasing to high power, then reducing to low and increasing again. Another at Ravenscar saw the aircraft head in their direction, above cliff top height, then descend. They saw the wingtip strike the water, followed by cartwheeling and inversion.
Engineering Examination
Examination of the wreckage showed the aircraft inverted with major damage to the outer right wing and a twisting failure of the rear fuselage. The propeller showed evidence it was not being driven on impact. Flaps were fully deployed, fuel selected to left tank, throttle fully open, mixture near fully rich, carburettor heat selected on, fuel primer locked, electric fuel pump off, landing light off, anti-collision light off, pitot heat off, and ignition off. No evidence of pre-impact failure was found in the flight control, fuel, or engine systems. The engine was examined and found in good condition with no evidence of failure. The engine‑driven mechanical fuel pump mechanism was stuck in an unusual position; the central spindle was slightly bent, but it could not be determined when this occurred. The electric fuel pump functioned satisfactorily after water immersion.
Carburettor Icing
A Met Office aftercast for the accident area at 1515 hrs showed a weak warm front. Visibility was 25 to 35 km, few clouds at 3,000 ft, and general cloud base around 4,500 ft. At 2,000 ft, wind was westerly at 17 kt, temperature 6°C, dew point 3.7°C. Plotting on the CAA Carburettor Icing Prediction Chart indicated that serious carburettor icing could occur at any power setting between 1,000 and 3,000 ft.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a Private Pilot’s Licence, aged 45, with 50 hours total flying experience (all on type). He had flown 27 hours in the last 90 days and 4 hours in the last 28 days. He obtained his licence after 45 hours of training; his instructor and examiner considered his performance satisfactory.
Pathology
Post‑mortem examination revealed the pilot survived the impact and died from drowning. His body was found outside the aircraft, indicating he extricated himself after impact but then drowned. He was not wearing a life jacket. No evidence of pre‑existing disease or alcohol/drugs was found.
Investigation Flight
An AAIB flight in a similar aircraft showed that when the MAYDAY was transmitted, a forced landing on land was theoretically possible, but the nearest land would have been behind and hidden by the wing, not immediately visible to the pilot.
The cause of the power loss could not be positively determined.