Piper PA-32-300 N4063R

Summary

On 26 June 2001 at about 23:10 local time, a Piper PA-32-300 registered N4063R was involved in an accident near Watch Hill, Rhode Island, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 June 2001 at 23:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Watch Hill, Rhode Island, United States

Coordinates

41.6804, -71.5126

Aircraft

Piper PA-32-300

Registration

N4063R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Block Island → Groton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC01LA154

1 person had minor injuries.

Loss of engine power for undetermined reason.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane taxied to the active runway, and departed with approximately 15 to 20 gallons of fuel in each main tank and approximately 5 gallons of fuel in each tip tank. Between 800 and 1,000 feet agl, the pilot retracted the flaps, selected the electric-driven fuel pump to off, set manifold pressure to 25 inches of mercury, reduced propeller RPM to 2,500, and leaned the mixture control to 18 GPH. While operating on the right main fuel tank, and climbing through 2,800 to 3,000 feet over the water, the pilot experienced a sudden loss of engine power. He described the change as if the propeller rpm had gone from low pitch to high pitch. He added that the propeller continued to rotate at 2,300 rpm, and engine manifold pressure stabilized around 15 to 17 inches of mercury. The pilot set the mixture control to full rich and placed the electric-driven fuel pump to "ON," but the engine did not recover. The pilot changed the fuel selector from the right-main tank to the left-main tank, and then waited, but still the engine did not recover. During the descent the engine and system instruments were in the normal operating range. The pilot pulled the throttle control all the way out, and manifold pressure dropped to 10 to 12 inches of mercury. He then pushed it pack in, and the manifold pressure returned to 15 to 17 inches. The pilot selected the left magneto and then the right magneto to "OFF." He then placed them back "ON" in the opposite order. Still the engine did not respond. The pilot then ditched the airplane, and the occupants exited into the water. The pilot did not get a chance to select an alternate air source during the descent. About a month after the accident, the engine was recovered from the ocean, and then examined by the Safety Board. During the examination, no preimpact failures or malfunctions were identified.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.