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| Date: | Friday 1 December 2023 |
| Time: | c. 10:01 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-32-260 Cherokee Six |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N15902 |
| MSN: | 32-7300019 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1972 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-E4B5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Off Pompiere, Saintes Island -
 Guadeloupe
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Terre-de-Haut Airport (LSS/TFFS) |
| Marie Galante-Les Bases Airport (GBJ/TFFM) | |
| Investigating agency: | BEA |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A Piper PA-32-260 Cherokee Six crashed into the sea near Pompierre, north east of the Saintes Island (Terre de Haut). The five occupants died and the aircraft was written off.
The loss of control resulted from an attempted turnback at low altitude, most likely following a reduction in engine power during climb, shortly after takeoff.
The cause of this power reduction could not be determined.
It was not possible to identify any engine malfunction.
It was also not possible to determine whether the position of the fuel selector, which was found set to “right auxiliary tank,” was the result of a pilot selection error before the flight or a manipulation made after the power loss.
An erroneous selection of the right auxiliary tank, which contained only a small amount of fuel, could have led to a loss of fuel pressure in the fuel system and a subsequent unintended engine power reduction.
If such an error did occur, it may have been due to several contributing factors:
- The flight involved short legs, during which fuel consumption is low, and frequent or systematic fuel tank switching may not seem necessary;
- The asymmetrical design of the PA32’s fuel selector, which makes it more difficult to clearly identify the selected tank compared to a centered left-right selector (see § 2.3.2);
- The variability of aircraft types operated by the pilot in his professional activity, which involved different fuel tank and selector configurations.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://rci.fm/deuxiles/node/4825936
https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guadeloupe/crash-en-mer-au-large-des-saintes-les-cinq-occupants-de-l-avion-sont-toujours-recherches-1447784.html
https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guadeloupe/saintes/terre-haut/l-epave-du-piper-pa-32-et-les-corps-des-5-victimes-a-son-bord-ont-ete-retrouves-1447916.html
https://bea.aero/en/investigation-reports/notified-events/detail/accident-to-the-piper-pa32-registered-n15902-on-01-12-2023-off-les-saintes/
https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/guadeloupe/crash-au-large-des-saintes-l-epave-du-pa32-est-desormais-aux-mains-des-experts-1462155.html
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=15902
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadeloupe
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/6/68797_1555944295.jpg (photo)
Location
Media:
⚠️ Accident du PA32 immatriculé N15902 survenu hier à 14h (TU) après son décollage des Saintes à destination de Marie-Galante / Ouverture d’une enquête de sécurité / 1 enquêteur de première information sur place. pic.twitter.com/l8npCEsxOY
— BEA ✈️ ⚙️??? (@BEA_Aero) December 2, 2023
#FaitsDivers???
— Eric Stimpfling (@StimpflingEric) December 1, 2023
Un avion porté disparu en mer depuis ce matin au large de Terre de Haut avec 4 personnes à son bord. L’aéronef de type PA32, immatriculé N15902, se rendait à à Marie-Galante au départ des Saintes (sources concordantes)@guadeloupela1e @Prefet971 @DGAC pic.twitter.com/zqlrVdumQ5
??Guadeloupe:
— PLANES OF LEGEND ✈️ (@PlanesOfLegend) February 3, 2024
Crash au large des Saintes : L'épave du Piper PA32 est désormais aux mains des experts. L’accident avait fait 5 morts.
ASN: https://t.co/v2fYIfY3v1
Presse: https://t.co/jV3awLqdAp pic.twitter.com/SAqBfMXcy4
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Dec-2023 10:53 | gerard57 | Added |
| 02-Dec-2023 18:39 | harro | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, ] |
| 02-Dec-2023 18:40 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Destination airport, ] |
| 02-Dec-2023 19:22 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Location, Country, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, ] |
| 02-Dec-2023 19:22 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Location, Embed code, ] |
| 02-Dec-2023 19:30 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Operator, Source, ] |
| 02-Dec-2023 19:33 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Operator, ] |
| 03-Dec-2023 04:02 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Country, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 03-Dec-2023 08:27 | harro | Updated [Other fatalities, Source, ] |
| 03-Dec-2023 10:56 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Country, Source, ] |
| 03-Dec-2023 11:03 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, ] |
| 14-Dec-2023 08:51 | harro | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Source, ] |
| 03-Feb-2024 08:59 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
| 24-Apr-2025 19:15 | ASN | Updated [Phase, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 11-Sep-2025 19:02 | ASN | Updated [Accident report, ] |
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