# Accident 19970503025919A: Piper PA31350, St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, May 3, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 3, 1997, 13:26 local time
- Place: St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 18.3533° N, 64.9365° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Saint Thomas, VI, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=18.3533&lon=-64.9365&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4088G, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4088G-1998-02-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-31-350 (registry code 7103110, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31-350) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA31350
- Reported engine: LYC TIO540J2BD
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 5,016 total, 1,780 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA97LA155](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA97LA155) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970503025919A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.4)THE RIGHT ENGINE BEGAN TO SURGE, EMIT BLACK SMOKE, AND LOSE POWER SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. THE PILOT DID NOT SHUTDOWN THE ENGINE OR FEATHER THE PROPELLER. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHILE TURNING TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT, THE AIRCRAFT ALMOST STALLED, AND HE LOWERED THE NOSE AND DESCENDED TOWARD THE SEA. HE WAS NOT ABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE, AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DITCHED IN THE SEA. POSTCRASH EXAMINATION OF THE RIGHT ENGINE SHOWED NO EVIDENCE TO INDICATE THE REASON FOR THE LOSS OF POWER AND BLACK SMOKE EMISSION. (-23) ENGINE FAILURE AFTER TAKEOFF.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB MIA97LA155](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA97LA155), May 3, 1997: Piper PA31-350 (N4088G), St Thomas, substantial damage. Probable cause: failure of the pilot to follow emergency procedures for loss of power in the right engine, by failing to shutdown the right engine and feather the right propeller. This resulted in the aircraft being…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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