FlightFollowerEngine Failure Forces Pilot and Stepdaughter to Crash into Lake – A Survival
The accident in context
Type: Piper PA-32-300 Cherokee Six Departure airport:Orlando, FL (ORL) Destination airport: Venice, FL (VNC) The private pilot was conducting his third flight of the day when, during climb about 10 minutes after takeoff, the engine lost partial power, regained power, then lost all power. The pilot was unable to restart the engine and ditched the airplane in a lake. Postaccident examination of the engine did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
The left main fuel tank was breached and absent of fuel. The left wingtip fuel tank was separated from the wing and was not recovered. However, adequate fuel remained in the airplane.
The Piper PA-32-300 accident is unusual because the engine problem was real, but the investigation could not determine why total power was lost. The aircraft was on a flight from Orlando toward Venice when the engine lost partial power, recovered briefly and then lost all power. The pilot and stepdaughter ditched in a lake.
Reconstructing the sequence
The investigation could not determine if the drain for the right wingtip fuel tank was locked open before or during impact, nor could it determine the position of the fuel selector when engine power was lost.
The NTSB’s probable cause was a total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
The postaccident fuel evidence was complicated. The right main tank contained about 25 gallons, while the left main tank was breached and empty. The right wingtip tank contained water and its drain was found locked open. The fuel selector was found between the right main and right wingtip positions. The investigator could not determine the selector position at the moment power was lost or whether the open drain had been open before impact.
What the evidence shows
That uncertainty is the central finding. The probable cause was total loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because examination did not reveal a pre-impact mechanical failure that would have prevented normal operation. Calling it a simple fuel-starvation accident would overstate the evidence; the physical findings support several possibilities without closing the case to one mechanism.
The lake ditching also demonstrates why the postaccident evidence matters as much as the emergency call. The remaining fuel, selector position and damaged tanks created a complex forensic picture. Investigators could establish that the engine lost power and that the airplane landed in the lake, but they could not reconstruct every fuel-system state at the instant of power loss.
Research and reconstruction
Flight Follower Editorial Team
This reconstruction was researched from official investigation records where they exist, the original air traffic control recording, and contemporary reporting. The aircraft movement, timeline and written account were assembled independently by Flight Follower. Where an investigation is open or no probable cause has been published, the account says so rather than offering one.
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Sources and investigation material
- https://data.ntsb.gov/
- https://www.aviation.govt.nz/assets/aircraft/airworthiness-directives/aeroplanes/pa32.pdf
Accident Facts
- Aircraft
- Piper
- Category
- Crash, Fuel, Engine failure
- Reconstruction
- 9:41