PA46, en-route, north northwest of Guernsey Channel Islands, 2019

PA46, en-route, north northwest of Guernsey Channel Islands, 2019

Summary

On 21 January 2019, a Piper PA46-310P en-route north northwest of Guernsey was reported missing and subsequently confirmed to have broken up in flight during an uncontrolled descent. The Investigation found that neither the pilot nor the aircraft involved were able to be used for commercial passenger flight operations but also found that although the direct cause of loss of control was unproven, it was most likely the consequence of carbon monoxide poisoning originating from an exhaust system leak. The safety implications arising from operation of private flights for commercial passenger transport purposes contrary to regulatory requirements were also highlighted.

Description

On 21 January 2019, a privately operated Piper PA46-310P (N246DB) conducting a private international passenger flight from Nantes to Cardiff at night on a VFR flight plan began manoeuvring whilst in the cruise to maintain VMC. It then suddenly began to descending steeply and at high speed before disappearing from radar altogether in a position close to where the wreckage of the aircraft was subsequently located on the seabed, a discovery which confirmed breakup of the airframe prior to impact and fatal injuries to the two occupants. 

Investigation

The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) became aware that the aircraft had gone missing approximately an hour after this had happened. Since the accident occurred in international waters and involved a USA-registered aircraft, the responsibility for the conduct of an independent accident investigation lay with the NTSB as the appropriate agency of the State of Registration of the aircraft. However, as provided for under ICAO Annex 13, the State of Registration may, by mutual agreement with another Member State, delegate the investigation to them. On the day after the accident had occurred and in anticipation that an accident investigation would be required, the NTSB delegated responsibility for the investigation to the State of the Operator, in this case the UK as represented by the AAIB who immediately opened a formal Investigation.

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