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The order was clear: a 25-year-old pilot and a 61-year-old female pilot were to transport a brand new Pilatus PC-12 from California to Australia. With a stop in Hawaii. However, they could not reach the island. They had to abandon the plane in the Pacific due to engine failure.
Soon the piece was submerged. In front of the two pilots. They had to stay in the life raft for 22 hours. But after a long night on the high seas, they were rescued by the crew of a cargo ship 1,600 kilometers east of Hawaii.
The incident occurred in November 2020. On Friday, the US accident investigation authority NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) published the final report on the incident, aviation portal Aerotelegraph.com reported.
First flight attempt canceled
New details are explained here. In April 2020, the Pilatus PC-12 was delivered to the USA from Stans. A subsidiary of Pilatus is equipping it with additional tanks and fuel lines, the report shows. Especially for the transfer flight to Australia. On November 2, the first ferry flight had to be cancelled. The new system did not work.
Problems occurred again in the second attempt on November 6. Fearing air entering the engine, the pilots turned off the system. After 20 seconds, the engine stopped at an altitude of 2430 meters. All attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. Then, as they say, there was a “loud, devastating explosion.”
ice in tanks
The pilots decided to land immediately. You are making an emergency call. And it touched down in the Pacific with landing gear down and flaps fully extended. They managed to leave the Pilatus PC-12 from the door and jump into the life raft. The plane then sank.
NTSB experts concluded that the loss of engine power was caused by air in the fuel line. It is also stated that ice has formed in the tanks and this prevents the flow of fuel to the engine. However, it is not possible to make a final statement. “The exact cause of the fuel shortage could not be determined as the aircraft was lost at sea and was not available for post-accident investigation,” the final incident report states. (pbe)
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
