ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 70494
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| Date: | Wednesday 16 December 2009 |
| Time: | 12:15 LT |
| Type: |  Piper PA-30-160 Twin Comanche C |
| Owner/operator: | Alan Burrows |
| Registration: | M-ALAN |
| MSN: | 30-1982 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1969 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-320 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Irish Sea near Morecambe Bay Gas Field, off Morecambe, Lancashire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Guernsey Airport, Guernsey, Channel Islands (EGJB) |
| Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man (IOM/EGNS) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Crashed 16-12-2009, approximately 38 nautical miles south-east of Ronaldsway: at FL 080, the pilot identified a “runaway” (overspeed) of the right engine. She shut down the engine and commenced a diversion to Blackpool Airport. Six minutes into the diversion the left engine also lost power. Despite conducting relevant cockpit procedures the pilot was unable to restore power. Unable to maintain level flight, and having calculated that Blackpool was too far away, she ditched the aircraft and was picked up by a rescue boat from a nearby rig support vessel. The only injury sustained by the pilot was a broken finger nail. Per an eyewitness report from the pilot of M-ALAN herself:
"I did indeed ditch in the Irish sea. I was about 38 miles from IOM when my right prop had a runaway, it was overspeeding in excess of 2800 rpm and I could not stabilise it. The MP was low as well so I did not have much to play with. I felt it was uncontrollable and shut it down.
The PA30 can fly perfectly well on one engine so I decended to 4000 ft to get out of the cloud layers and diverted to Blackpool. About 6 minutes into my divertion my left engine lost power. My MP was down to 17 inches. I did all the checks changed fuel tanks, cross feed, electrics, boost pumps etc. No go.
D & D wanted me to try for Blackpool 18 miles away but I would not have reached there. I was near the oil rigs so elected to land in the vicinity. I spotted the support ship and ditched near it. I got out and had to hold onto the life raft. There were no steps on the liferaft and no way to pull myself in.
The oil rig helicopter was hovering nearby to spot me whilst the support vessel rescue craft picked me up. Once on the ship I was checked out and the RAF Seaking from RAF Valley winched me up and took me to Blackpool. I was checked out at the Hospital there and ok to fly home on Manx2.com's aircraft. All the emergency services and the police were fantastic and couldn't have been more helpful.
Lots of things were in my favour. In my training as a commercial pilot it was instilled 'fly the aircraft'. Sort out the problem and then make a decision and stick to it. This is what I did. My husband insisted on me flying in an immersion suit. Thanks to him, it helped. The weather was benign but cold. The sea had slight swell. If the wind had been greater than the 15 or so knots the waves would have been bigger and it might have been different. The ship was there and were alerted so I was only in the water for about 5 minutes.
Was there anything I would have done differently , no I don't think so. I did everything I could think of the get my engines back but once I had made the decision I followed it through. Even having 2 engines doesn't always guarantee getting there but someone was looking over my shoulder on Wednesday and I am here to have Christmas with my family."
The wreckage was not recovered for five months after the ditching and was therefore heavily contaminated by exposure to the sea and sea bed. The structure sustained damage during the ditching. It suffered further damage when it became caught in the nets of a fishing boat and subsequently during the recovery operation.
Registration M-ALAN cancelled from the Manx Civil Register as "destroyed" 31/12/2010
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. AAIB: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f63ced915d13710005e5/Piper_PA_30__M-ALAN_10-10.pdf
2. https://www.gov.im/lib/docs/ded/aircraft/GroundRules/Accidents/malanaaibbulletin1.pdf
3. http://www.homepages.mcb.net/bones/Manx_Register/ManxRegister_Reg.htm
4. http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/M-ALAN.html
5. https://www.planelogger.com/Aircraft/Registration/M-ALAN/831643
6. https://www.pprune.org/private-flying/399140-ga-aircraft-ditching-irish-sea-16th-dec.html
7. https://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/dramatic-rescue-of-fylde-air-crash-pilot-1-388479
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Dec-2009 08:46 | slowkid | Added |
| 16-Dec-2009 10:03 | slowkid | Updated |
| 16-Dec-2009 11:53 | Supercub180 | Updated |
| 16-Dec-2009 12:03 | Anon. | Updated |
| 16-Oct-2012 18:03 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Oct-2012 18:07 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Narrative] |
| 20-Jun-2013 12:19 | Uli Elch | Updated [Aircraft type, Departure airport, Destination airport] |
| 16-Nov-2016 15:35 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Nov-2016 15:38 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 16-Nov-2016 15:40 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
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