PA,46 Accident Reviewlnto the water in the Bahamas

BY DICK ROCHFORT. ATP. CFII-MASTER INSTRUCTORPHOTO BY PAUL BOWEN

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EII-On Aug. 25, about l4l5 EastemDaylight Time a Piper PA-46R-350T, N720JF, impactedthe water immediatety aftertakeofffrom the Cat Cay Airport(MYCC), Cat Cay, Batnmas Theairline transport pilot and fourpassengers received minor or noinjuries. The airplane sustainedsubstantial damage to bothwings. The airplane was regis-tered to, and operated by, Pur€Beauty Farms under the provi-sioru ofTide t4 Code ofFederalRegulations Part 9l as a persooal

flight. \4sual maeorological con-ditions prev-ailed in the area, andno flight plan had been filed forthe flight, which was destined forthe Kendall-Thmiami ExecutiveAfpon (KTMB), Miami

The pilot stated that he aligned

the airplane with the runway cen-terline for takeotrand applied frrllengine power, observing that allengine iistruments were withintheir parameters and that thewing flaps were at the lo-degreesening. Afur releasing the brakes

and as the airplane began rhetakeoffroll, he again confirmedthat all flight i$truments were "inthe greeni' The airplane became

airbome around 80 knos andabout l5O feet above ground level,

the airplanet engine "stopped"

and the pilot lowered the nose.

The airplane impaaed the waterin a flat pitch attitude and subse-

quendy came to rest upright.

TALKING POINTS:As of this writing I see only twopossibilities with respect to the

cause of this accident

I . Engine failure The pilot suf-fered a catasrophic engine fail-ure immediately after takeoff,and he responded appropriately.

2. Confirmation bias: The pilotperceived a catastrophic enginefailure and rcsponded appropri-ately to that perception- (lf youbelieve your engine has failed,all additional observations willtend to confirm that belief)

Engine failures acrount for onlyI .5 percent ofceneral Aviationfatalities. If we discount the ones

that are pilot-induced (mostty fuelstarvation), this number drops to.75 percent Ifwe discount aircra.ft

that are known by the pilot to be

non-airwonhy, the number &opsto .375 perclnl A Pf-6 engineis I00 times more rdiable thana piston engine which bringsthe number down to somethinglike .00375 percent for tuIbine-equipped airq-afl While mostpilots believe engine failure tobe the 500-pound gorilla in thecoclgit, shristically it is nolPreparing for a low-altitudeeDgine failure is arl important panofyour training. It should be com-pleted within FAA standards forthe commercial pilot, but it shouldnot dominate your training pro-gram. lfyou spend more than fireminutes ofa two-day recurrenttraining prograrn discussing andpracticing engine failure, you arc,

figu'advely speaking, watching thewrong hand

3a r"opr

I offer the following sugges-

tions for managing the risk ofalow-altitude engine failure or aperceived engine failure:

Get regular maintenance froman experienced type-specifi cmechanic whom you trust.

Supervise the fueling opera-tion. Halfofall engine failurcs are

fu el-related The Marix/Malibu./Mirage aircraft looks suspiciouslyIike a letProp to the new linepersonnel. Verif that the properquantity ofthe correct fuel is

placed in the proper tank(s). Ifthere is any doubt about con-tamination of l00LL fuel, you can

easily test ir wih a pap€r towel. lfa drop offuel leaves an oily stain,the av gas is contaminated with

Jet A Do not accept iL lfyou are

still unsure, get a test kit ftomBlackstone and have a profesionalanalpis performed More you flythe aircraft. Ifthere is water in th€I mLL sample drain it all out andknow that more is still in the tanlcit is trapped in the wet-wing struc-rure. lfthis is the case, considertopping offthe tanks with I 00LLwith Pr'rst (the fuel additive, notthe window deaner). Use theblueJabel, low-flow rariety per

the instructions on the can. Prislis hygroscopic (with a'G"), and itwill, therefore, absorb the remain-ing water in the ank

Concern yourself with tirepressure. Look are deceiving.Ensure the tire pressures are

correct with a gauge. lf this is notconvenient, pay a qualfied me-chanic or aircraft manager to doit for yorl. Rolling r€sistance andthe propensity for hydroplaningvary inversely and exponen-tially with tire pressure. This is a

significant risk particularly whenthe aircraft is hrlly loaded. Do notignore ti-re pressure. The use ofpure nit.ogen does not hurt, butit does not add to performance orsafety in any signficant way.

Eraluate the takeoff perfor-mance for each departure. If theperformance chart in the POHindicates inadequate runwayIength, go no further Ifyourexperience with shon runways is

Iimited, add l0 percent to 30 per-cent ofthe POH values to yourtakeoff distance requirement5

ACCIDENT REVIEW

)

depending on conditions.Monitor the engine during engine start,

taxi ald run-up. Run up on the fi.rllest tankand do not switch fuel tank afier the runup. ("Dance with the girl you brought.")

Set up the fu8ht director for an 8.5-degree climb straight ahead and confgure theaircraft for departure: l0 degrees of flaps or 20

degees for short field in accordance with thePOH. There are a lariety ofways to accomplish the autopilot setup, depending on thepanel in your aircraft. Ask your flight instructor to make recommen&tions in this regard

Use proper callouts on takeoff. The 6o-

knot callout is your last chance to detect aperformance isue which can be the result ofmany factors unaccounted for in the POHperformance data low tire pressures, intakemanifold leaks, compression issues, densityaltitude runway slope, humidiry snow slush,

wet gass, tall grass, etc. This callout andthe distance remaining verification shouldroutinely occur prior to 1,000 feet ofgroundroll in.iust about any situation in the PA-,16.

In any casq you must be at 60 knots before

the hal6,r,ay point or the takeoff should be

aboned. The reasons for the performance de-ficiencies must be undeFtood and corrected

before another takeoffis anempted.

Set the friction lock when you reach 6oknots during the takeoffroll and verifi thedistance needed to accelerate to that sp€€d-

When you rolate, move your right handaway fiom the power lever and place it onthe yoke. This move can prevent bumpingthe PL causing an un-comrnanded rollback,which the pilot is likely to perceive as anengine failure. It can also prevent your righthand fiom doing something your bnin has

not commanded.Veriry positive rate of dimb, retract gear

and flape gompdy but without rushing. Ifobstades are present, dimb 12 degrees nose up(90 knos). After dearing obstades, lower the

nose to 8 degees bring flap,s to l0 dqirees and

retract the landing gear. Then, u'hen passing

lm kno6 bring up the remaining flaps. Trimfor the llight direaor bars, venfy ainpeed rising

above t l0 knots and engage the autopilor lfanODP exists, ycu should be using it, regardless ofweather. Climb at the rate required for the ODPAfter that, consider 130 knos in the dimb forice penetration and Va" Ifyou have a FLC (flight

level change FILCH) button, use itThe key to benefifting from pitch-power-

conngu.ation is to know the resultantainpeed for a particular pitch/power/con-figuration.

There arent too many left, but if you fly an

older Malibu with Gar Kenyon hydraulics, thereare some exceptions to the aforementionedprocedura. Check with your flight instructor

for the modfications to these procedures.

Good pilos are not thrill-seeking risktakers. Good pilots are well-trained riskmanagers. Always strive to improve yourrisk management capabilities by insistingon excellent training. Excellent training isachieved with procedural discipline in theuse ofchecklists, flows, memory items andstandard operating procedures - the sameway. each and every trme. Excellent trainingdoes not cost any more or take any longer.

Ifyou are flying any PA-,16, you shouldconsider yourselfluc\. ln my opinion it isthe most capable GA aircraft available today,

and it is gening better every year. ;MMop

Dick Rochfort is an airlinetransport pilot and MasterCettifed Flight lnsttuctotand has been afull-time

llight instructot Jot norethan 20 years.

Whether insurance is a

headwind or tailwind depends

on which way you fly.

lf riis sourds lil(e dle kird ol wind you wa aryour bacl youte in good coftpdry. ltre re pleas€d

to have eamed an aonual(ll'tomer rmewal rateof 96%, beatng dle indusry averagE by 1 0%. Buiwe? be even more plea5ed iI rve can help )su flyin an eirier diredion.

4!RSUBE

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fi it seeos every year in,lan(e 3 b€(omang

more and more ol a head$rind you rafl'love(om€, youte not alooe. Ihe e ire ayratio{r

'ndulrry i! having a tough lime in our n€$,ly

we won't prelend lo have all$e answets.weie irlsurance brokai not fo(une teller: But

we can prcmise we'll adively wofi b reduce

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F^LL 2or3 . usope see eu rrr 39

ACCIDENT REVIEW