ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 173763
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| Date: | Friday 11 May 2001 |
| Time: | 10:09 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche |
| Owner/operator: | Island Aviation & Travel Ltd |
| Registration: | G-ASRH |
| MSN: | 30-368 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Irish Sea, 12 nautical miles off Blackpool, Lancashire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Isle of Man Airport (IOM/EGNS) |
| Blackpool Airport (BLK/EGNH) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Written off (damaged beyond repair) when crashed into the Irish Sea 12 miles off Blackpool, Lancashire, due to engine failure. The pilot (sole person on board) successfully ditched the aircraft, escaped from the cockpit, and was rescued. According to the following extract from the official AAIB report into the accident:
"The aircraft's last recorded flight was on 10 June 1997 and its Certificate of Airworthiness (C of A) expired on 13 March 1999. In order to have its C of A (private category) renewed the aircraft had to be flown to a maintenance organisation in Blackpool. For this ferry flight to be approved the aircraft had to be issued with a permit to fly.
Engineers from the Blackpool based company traveled to the Isle of Man to carry out the extensive engineering work required to prepare the aircraft for flight, and for the issue of its permit. Eventually, on 9 May 2001, the aircraft was cleared for 'one flight only from Ronaldsway, Isle of Man, to Blackpool direct', with the landing gear extended.
On 11 May 2001, the pilot gave the aircraft a full pre-flight inspection, started the engines, and was cleared to taxi for a departure from runway 08 at Ronaldsway. Power checks, including checks of the propeller constant speed units (CSUs) were carried out at the holding point. The aircraft departed at 09:15 hours, making a left turn to clear to the north of the airfield.
The aircraft was then flown to a position near the coast, for checks to be carried out on the aircraft's handling qualities, its systems, and engines. Satisfied that the aircraft was performing normally, the pilot set course for Blackpool at an altitude of 2,000 feet. The flight progressed normally until the aircraft was approximately 12 nautical miles west of Blackpool.
At this point (09:50 hours) the left engine began to gradually lose power. The necessary checks were completed but power could not be restored so the pilot decided to feather the left propeller, and shutdown the engine. The pilot advised the Blackpool radar controller, who was providing him with a Radar Information Service (RIS) at the time, that he had a problem with his left engine, but did not wish to declare an emergency, as he was able to maintain altitude.
Three minutes later, at 09:53 hours, the pilot declared an emergency as his left engine was shut down, and his right engine was now losing power. Checklist actions and systems analysis again failed to restore power. Committed to a ditching, the pilot carried out all the necessary checks, paying particular attention to survival equipment and emergency exits. During the descent, he donned his life jacket, and placed a second jacket on the seat beside him.
The radar controller initiated emergency action and informed the Warton radar controller of the situation.
Seconds before making contact with the sea, the pilot unlatched the cabin door/emergency exit, and again confirmed that both engines were secure and propellers feathered. He reported that impact (carried out with flaps retracted and gear up) with the sea was "remarkably light with the aircraft settling slightly nose down in the water with the fuselage and wings intact and above the surface".
The pilot exited the aircraft, inflated both life jackets and walked along the wing. The aircraft remained afloat for 3 to 4 minutes at which time the pilot entered the water and was clear of the aircraft before it finally submerged.
The Warton radar controller had noted the aircraft's last displayed radar position, and vectored an airborne helicopter that located the wreckage and the pilot in the water. By 10:24 hours, 15 minutes from entering the water, the pilot was rescued by a fast rescue craft from a rig standby vessel. The pilot was unharmed but was later flown to a mainland hospital as a precaution.
Further investigation as to the cause of the total power loss could not be carried out, as the wreckage was not recovered from the sea"
As G-ASRH went to the bottom of the Irish Sea, to a reported depth of 40 metres, the registration was cancelled by the CAA on 9 October 2001 as aircraft "destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422ed6fe5274a1317000197/dft_avsafety_pdf_500979.pdf
2. CAA: https://siteapps.caa.co.uk/g-info/rk=ASRH
3. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1393635/
4. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/pilot-and-passenger-both-seriously-hurt-in-air-crash-1-2412746 (Second story: first part refers to the crash of Avid Speedwing G-BUSZ)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Feb-2015 14:39 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 13-Feb-2015 15:14 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 16-Jul-2016 17:21 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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