# Accident 20250601007049A: Piper PA-32-300, Branford, CT, June 1, 2025

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 1, 2025, 10:26 local time
- Place: Branford, CT
- Airport: Tweed-New Haven
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.2325° N, 72.7486° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.2325&lon=-72.7486&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2242Z, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2242Z) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32-300 (registry code 7103212, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32-300) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-32-300
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 875 total, 20 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA25LA215](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25LA215) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250601007049A

## Narrative

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

ON JUNE 1, 2025, AT APPROXIMATELY 1026 EDT, A PIPER PA-32-300 DEPARTED FROM IGOR I. SIKORSKY MEMORIAL AIRPORT (KBDR) ON AN EASTERLY HEADING. WHILE FLYING AT FLIGHT LEVEL 030 (APPROXIMATELY 3,000 FEET MSL), THE PILOT REPORTED A LOUD BANG CONSISTENT WITH THE SOUND OF AN ENGINE BACKFIRE, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE AIRCRAFT’S PROPELLER CONTINUED TO WINDMILL, REGISTERING 0 RPM ON COCKPIT INSTRUMENTATION. THE PILOT PROMPTLY DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND INFORMED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) OF THE ENGINE FAILURE. IN RESPONSE, ATC ISSUED VECTORS TOWARD TWEED NEW HAVEN AIRPORT (KHVN), PROVIDING A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 330°. THE PILOT CHANGED HEADING AND BEGAN EXECUTING EMERGENCY PROCEDURES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AIRCRAFT FLIGHT MANUAL (AFM). THE PILOT ASSESSED THE AIRCRAFT’S GLIDE CAPABILITIES AND DETERMINED THAT REACHING THE SHORELINE WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER PREPARED FOR A WATER DITCHING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUCCESSFULLY DITCHED IN THE LONG ISLAND SOUND, APPROXIMATELY SIX NAUTICAL MILES FROM THE CONNECTICUT COAST. UPON IMPACT, THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE BUT REMAINED LARGELY INTACT. THE OCCUPANTS EXITED THE AIRCRAFT, DONNED LIFE PRESERVERS, AND REMAINED ON THE WING WHILE CONTACTING EMERGENCY SERVICES VIA THE PILOT’S CELL PHONE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE AIRCRAFT BECAME FULLY SUBMERGED. APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES AFTER THE DITCHING, BOTH INDIVIDUALS WERE RESCUED WITHOUT INJURY BY RESPONDING U.S. COAST GUARD PERSONNEL.

## 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 ERA25LA215](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25LA215), Jun 1, 2025: Piper PA32-300 (N2242Z), Branford, CT, substantial damage. Probable cause: Maintenance personnel's improper installation and inspection of the crankshaft gear bolt during major overhaul, which resulted in the crankshaft gear disengaging from the accessory gears which led to…

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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