- Date
- May 7, 1994, 18:06 local (23:06 UTC)
- Place
- High Island 334
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3648EPiper PA-46-310P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 7, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940507010269A
- Case key
- 19049
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power with the cause undetermined. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane was en route at 14,000 feet MSL when the manifold pressure dropped from 30 to 18 inches. Eleven minutes later the oil light came 'on'. The airplane continued under partial power at an airspeed of 90 knots, while descending at 100 to 300 feet per minute (fpm). By 9,500 feet MSL the engine oil pressure dropped to zero. The pilot shut down the engine and made a forced landing in the gulf of Mexico near a ship. The airplane remained afloat for 5 to 7 minutes. During this time, the emergency exit was opened, all occupants donned a life vest, exited, and boarded the life raft, which the pilot had deployed. All were rescued by personnel from the ship. The airplane was not recovered; therefore, the cause of the power loss was not determined.
Factual narrative
On May 7, 1994, at 1806 central daylight time, a Piper PA-46-310P, N3648E, was destroyed during a forced landing in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately one hundred and ten miles offshore from Houston, Texas. The airline transport pilot and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The remaining two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal cross country flight.
During telephone interviews the pilot reported that the airplane was en route at 14,000 feet MSL on an IFR flight plan from Cozumel, Mexico, to Houston, Texas, when the manifold pressure dropped from 30 to 18 inches. Eleven minutes later, the pilot observed the oil light "ON". The airplane continued under partial power, at an airspeed of 90 knots, while descending at a rate of 300 fpm to 100 fpm. By 9,500 feet MSL the engine oil pressure dropped to zero and the propeller was windmilling. The pilot shut down the engine, and executed an emergency ditching near a ship.
The pilot further reported that all checklist items except the master switch "OFF" was completed prior to the water ditching. The airplane remained afloat for five to seven minutes. During this time, the emergency exit was opened, all occupants donned life vests, exited, and boarded the life raft.
Neither the owner nor pilot responded to numerous request for a completed Pilot/Operator Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2).
The airplane was not recovered.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3648E
- Reported as
- Piper PA-46-310P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46-8408067
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-BE1, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Martin, Adren & Cohen, Howard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 21, 1994
- Departed
- MMCZ · Cozumel,Of
- Destination
- HOU · Houston, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.