- Date
- February 20, 1995, 13:20 local (17:20 UTC)
- Place
- Caribbean Sea
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N598PRPiper PA-32-260
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 9, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19950220002119A
- Case key
- 37734
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 for undetermined reasons.
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 pilot stated he was climbing through 1,700 feet msl when the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. He notified the tower of the emergency, attempted to restart the engine with negative results, and made a forced landing into the Caribbean Sea. The airplane was not recovered.
Factual narrative
On February 20, 1995, about 1320 Atlantic standard time, a Piper PA-32-260, N598PR, registered to Pablo Speroni, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, experienced a total loss of engine power, and ditched into the Caribbean Sea about 3 miles west of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The airplane will not be recovered and is presumed to have been destroyed. The airline transport rated pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The flight originated from Cyril E. King Airport, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, about 5 minutes before the accident.
The pilot stated he was climbing through 1,700 feet msl when the airplane experienced a total loss of engine power. He notified the tower of the emergency, attempted to restart the engine with negative results, and made a forced landing into the Caribbean Sea. He further stated the airplane was not insured, and no attempt to locate and recover the airplane will be made.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N598PR
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-260
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-43
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-E4B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Speroni, Pablo
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- STT · St. Thomas
- Destination
- VQS · Vieques, PR
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
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 4,600 total · 150 in this make and model · 4,500 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STT, 3 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.