On Feb. 1, 2019, a Piper PA-32RT-300 was presumed destroyed after radar contact was lost over the Atlantic Ocean. The private pilot and passenger were presumed fatally injured.
A review of voice, radar, and weather data revealed that the airplane departed Palm Beach County Park Airport (KLNA) in West Palm Beach, Florida, under visual flight rules.
The pilot subsequently obtained an instrument flight rules (IFR) clearance to Leonard M. Thompson International Airport (MYAM) in Marsh Harbour, The Bahamas. The controller cleared the airplane to progressively higher altitudes and provided vectors to avoid areas of precipitation in its flight path.
The controller instructed the pilot to fly heading 080° to avoid weather and described an area of light and moderate precipitation at the pilot’s 11 o’clock position and 10 miles ahead. The pilot acknowledged. About two minutes later, the controller instructed the pilot to turn 10° to the right in order to stay away from the precipitation.
About four minutes later, the controller instructed the pilot to turn another 10° right to remain clear of precipitation. The pilot read back the instructions and said, “I don’t know what happened — my autopilot it just kicked off.”
The controller acknowledged the pilot and instructed him to climb and maintain 6,000 feet; the pilot repeated the altitude assignment.
Just a few minutes later, the controller again instructed the pilot to turn 10° right for weather and stated that the airplane did not appear to be on the correct heading. The pilot said he was “really fighting” to maintain heading. One minute later, the controller informed the pilot that the airplane had turned south and asked if he required assistance. The pilot replied, “it’s just really squirrelly up here, it’s weird.”
Soon after, the pilot contacted the controller and said there were some “really weird winds up here.” The controller advised that the airplane was turning north toward an area of heavier precipitation and instructed the pilot to turn south toward “any heading.” The pilot stated that the airplane was having autopilot issues and that he was going to turn off the autopilot and fly manually.
The controller then advised the pilot that it appeared the airplane was heading eastbound and instructed him to maintain 6,000 feet. The controller also stated that he would advise the center controller that the airplane was having “some sort of an autopilot issue.”
The controller next advised the pilot that the airplane had turned back to the northwest and asked if he was going to return to an eastbound heading. The pilot responded that he was “fine,” that his instruments were “acting really goofy” and that he would turn the airplane to a 090° heading. The controller instructed the pilot to maintain 6,000 feet and no higher than 7,000 feet. The pilot did not respond.
Shortly after, the airplane entered a sharp right turn from a northerly heading and began to descend. The radar track showed the airplane in an increasingly steep right turn as it rapidly descended and was lost from radar in an area that depicted heavy precipitation.
The United States Coast Guard conducted a search for the airplane by air and sea over an area of 1,115 square miles without success. After 36 hours, the search was suspended.
The pilot received a weather briefing through Leidos Flight Service about an hour before the flight began. The briefer provided the convective outlook, Center Weather Advisory, METARs, and winds aloft. The pilot asked about the line of weather off the coast and stated that if it was moving north, he would fly south of it. The briefer responded that the line of weather was “just sitting there.” The pilot told the briefer he “saw that one little red blob out there.”
The Center Weather Advisory valid for the accident site at the accident time warned of areas of moderate rain showers and isolated thunderstorms with heavy precipitation with tops to 28,000 feet.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s loss of control due to spatial disorientation.
This February 2019 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Sometimes a cheaper AP will kick off if the winds are strong enough and or get hit by a blast of shear. Big wind can also bump you enough that the instruments may appear to flutter, especially analog ones.
Will the govt try to recover them, as with JFK, Jr
or will they remain in their watery grave?
It looks like he made this trip frequently, and on this occasion he was in a hurry to depart before a presidential TFR went into effect in his area near Mar-a-Lago.
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/2020/11/02/veterinarian-ken-simmons-lost-2019-plane-crash-disoriented-storm-ntsb-found/6070868002/
David,
Thanks. That explains a lot. It’s really sad to see this, and the ‘get there-itis’.
This is a sad scenario; Launching at sunset and knowingly flying into a strong storm….this is the definition of STUPID pilot tricks.
Was it really that important to get there that evening…and not wait until the next morning ?
Unfortunately, the docket had no info on the pilot,