What happened
On September 15, 2019, a Piper PA-46-350P, registration N218MW, was conducting a personal flight from Titusville, Florida, toward Ozona, Texas, with a final destination of El Cajon, California. The aircraft, operated by Mailworks, Inc., departed Space Coast Regional Airport at 0830 EDT. During the flight, the pilot transitioned through the Gulfport, Mississippi, Terminal Radar Service Area at 10,500 feet before beginning a descent toward the mouth of the Mississippi River.
As the aircraft descended to 1,500 feet near Boothville, Louisiana, the pilot attempted to configure the plane for a climb. At this moment, the engine failed to respond to power applications, causing the aircraft to lose altitude. The pilot executed emergency procedures and notified the Houston air route traffic control center and emergency frequencies. After activating the emergency locator transmitter, the pilot performed an emergency ditching in the Gulf of Mexico.
Following the impact with the water, the pilot exited the aircraft and remained on the wing until the plane submerged. The pilot was not injured during the incident. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter located and rescued the pilot approximately one hour later, transporting him to a medical facility in New Orleans, where he was treated and released. The aircraft remains unrecovered.
Findings
- The primary cause of the emergency was a loss of engine power during the transition from descent to climb.