Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

The crew departed Norfolk-Chambers Field NAS on a local mission. En route, the airplane crashed in unknown circumstances in the Chincoteague Bay, off Wallops Island. The aircraft came to rest partially submerged in shallow waters. Two crew members were rescued while the pilot Lt Hyrum Hanlon was killed.

On 08 March 2022, the Bamaji Air Inc. (Bamaji) wheel-equipped Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft (registration C-GIPR, serial number 20800343) was conducting a series of visual flight rules (VFR) flights from Sioux Lookout Airport (CYXL), Ontario. At 1031, after checking the aerodrome forecast (TAF) valid from 0900 to 2000, and the graphic area forecast (GFA) valid from 0600 to 1800, the pilot departed on a flight to an ice runway on Springpole Lake, Ontario, about 78 nautical miles (NM) north-northwest of CYXL. The aircraft returned to CYXL with 2 passengers at 1200. In preparation for a second flight to Springpole Lake, the pilot loaded approximately 900 pounds of freight into the cabin and secured it under a cargo net. The aircraft had 750 pounds of fuel remaining on board, which was sufficient for the planned flight. The pilot and 1 passenger boarded the aircraft. The pilot occupied the left cockpit seat and the passenger occupied the right cockpit seat. Both occupants were wearing the available 5-point-harness safety belt system. At 1250, a snow squall began to move across CYXL, reducing ground visibility. The pilot taxied the aircraft to a position on the apron and waited for the fast-moving snow squall to pass. At 1301, the pilot taxied the aircraft to Runway 34 and took off in visual meteorological conditions. The aircraft climbed to approximately 1800 feet above sea level (ASL), then, once clear of the control zone, it descended to approximately 1600 to 1700 feet ASL, roughly 500 to 600 feet above ground level (AGL), to remain below the overcast ceiling. As the aircraft began to cross Lac Seul, Ontario, the visibility straight ahead and to the west was good. However, when the aircraft was roughly midway across the lake, it encountered turbulence and immediately became enveloped in whiteout conditions generated by a snow squall. The pilot turned his head to inspect the left wing and saw that ice appeared to be accumulating on the leading edge. He turned his attention back to the flight instruments and saw that the altimeter was descending rapidly. He then pulled back on the control column to stop the descent; however, within a few seconds, the aircraft struck the frozen surface of Lac Seul, approximately 17 NM north-northwest of CYXL. The aircraft was substantially damaged. There was no fire. The aircraft occupants received minor injuries. The Artex Model Me406 emergency locator transmitter (ELT) activated on impact and the signal was detected by the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ontario, re-tasked a Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft that was in the area and 3 search and rescue technicians (SAR Techs) parachuted into the site within 1 hour of the accident. The aircraft occupants and the SAR Techs were extracted from the site by a civilian helicopter later that day.

The single engine airplane departed Moroni Airport at 1155LT on a schedule flight to Mohéli, carrying 12 passengers and two pilots. While approaching Mohéli, the crew encountered marginal weather conditions when the aircraft crashed in the sea some 2,5 km northwest of Mohéli-Bander es Eslam Airport. After 24 hours of intense research, only few debris were found floating on water (such a wheel and wing fragments). No trace of the 14 occupants was found.

After its departure from Hyde County Airport, North Carolina, the single engine airplane followed an erratic track according to ATC. While cruising along the shore, the aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in the sea about 30 km northeast of Beaufort-Michael J. Smith Field Airport, few km east of the Drum Inlet. The wreckage was found at a depth of about 55 feet. Two bodies and other remains were later found.

The aircraft departed the Opa Locka Executive Airport (KOPF), Opa Locka, Florida, USA at 7:52 AM EST (1252 UTC) with 2 persons on board enroute to the Chub Cay Int’l Airport. The aircraft was operated by Airway Air Charter INC (Venture Air Solutions INC), a Part 135 certificate holder under Title 14 US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Investigations revealed that the pilot in command arrived at the Opa Locka Airport at approximately 6:30 AM EST and conducted a pre-flight check of the aircraft, subsequently adding 66.5 gallons of 100LL avgas fuel to the main fuel tanks of the aircraft. No fuel was added to the auxiliary tanks. After completion of all pre-flight checks, and gaining clearance from Air Traffic Control, the aircraft departed at approximately 7:52 AM EST. Investigations revealed that the flight was uneventful, until descending into Chub Cay, at about 2,500 feet, when the left engine began to “sputter”. At this point the pilot executed the engine failure checklist, but shortly thereafter, the right engine began to “sputter” also. The pilot then contacted Miami air traffic center and advised of loss of power to both engines, which resulted in the aircraft crashing into waters. The United States Coast Guard along with the Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) and Police Force (RBPF) were alerted. Joint aerial and marine assets were dispatched and additional assistance was provided by local mariners and pilots flying in the area to conduct search and rescue. Both occupants were located and rescued. They were later airlifted to the United States to receive further medical attention for minor injuries. Image from Google Earth of accident site and distance from Chub Cay Airport The location where the aircraft crashed was identified at coordinates 25° 24.884’ N and 077° 58.030’ W, approximately 4.48 NM west of the Chub Cay International Airport (MYBC), Berry Islands, Bahamas.

On December 29, 2021, at 1622 eastern standard time, a Cessna 207 airplane, N1596U, sustained minor damage when it was involved in an accident in the Florida Bay near Marathon, Florida. The pilot sustained serious injuries and the two passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane was operated by ExecAir of Naples as an on-demand passenger flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135. According to the operator, the pilot reported that the takeoff from The Florida Keys Marathon International Airport (MTH), Marathon, Florida was normal, and the flight progressed oncourse over water toward the destination of Naples Municipal Airport (APF), Naples, Florida. Once the airplane reached about 3,500 ft mean sea level, a “bang” from the engine was heard, which was immediately followed by a total loss of engine power and oil spraying onto the cowling. The pilot briefed the passengers that they would not be able to make it to land and to prepare for a water landing. Subsequently, the ditching was accomplished in open water, the airplane remained upright, and everyone evacuated the airplane. About 10-15 minutes later, a passing pleasure vessel rescued the occupants and a United States Coast Guard helicopter also arrived shortly thereafter. Review of photographs of the airplane after it was recovered to land revealed that it sustained minor damage to areas of the cowling, fuselage, and wings. Photos of the engine (Continental Motors, IO-520-F) revealed that a large fracture hole was sustained to the crankcase near the No. 2 cylinder, with several internal engine components protruding from the area. The magnetos were also observed to have fractured from their attach points and were resting on top of the engine. The propeller was intact and showed minimal damage.

The twin engine aircraft departed Waterford Airport for a local survey flight. While flying at low altitude, the pilot reported technical difficulties and attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft crashed on a beach located in Carnsore Point and came to rest partially submerged in water. All four occupants were taken to hospital and the aircraft was destroyed.

The single engine airplane departed Borkum Airport in the early afternoon on a local skydiving mission. At an altitude of 14,000 feet, the skydivers jumped out the cabin then the pilot reduced his altitude and returned to Norderney Airport. On approach, control was lost and the airplane crashed in the sea of Wadden, about 4 km southeast of the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed.

The aircraft departed Honolulu-Daniel K. Inouye International Airport at 0133LT on a cargo service (flight MUI810) to Kahului. While climbing by night, the crew contacted ATC and declared an emergency following the failure of the left engine, and was cleared to return. Due to the position of the aircraft, the crew was suggested to divert to Kalaeloa Airport located about 15 km west of Honolulu Intl Airport. Eventually, the crew elected to ditch the aircraft that came to rest about 3 km south of Kalaeloa Airport. Both pilots were seriously injured and rescued by USCG. The aircraft sank and was lost. Operations to recover the wreckage are under way.

On May 29, 2021, about 1055 central daylight time, a Cessna 501 Citation, N66BK, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident shortly after takeoff from the Smyrna Airport (MQY), Smyrna, Tennessee. The pilot and six passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot filed an instrument flight rules flight plan with a destination of Palm Beach International (PBI) Airport, West Palm Beach, Florida. He purchased 414 gallons of Jet A fuel prior to the flight, which topped-off the fuel tanks (574 gallons total). The pilot then taxied to runway 32. Preliminary review of air traffic control (ATC) communications and radar data revealed the pilot was cleared for takeoff and instructed to turn to a heading of 090°, and to climb and maintain 3,000 ft mean sea level (msl). The pilot initially read back the clearance as “at or above 3,000 ft”, and the controller corrected him. The airplane departed at 1053:06 and made a climbing right turn to the east and the pilot was instructed to contact Nashville departure control. At 1054:27, when the airplane was about 3 miles north of the airport, a departure controller contacted the airplane and asked if they were “on frequency.” The pilot responded with, “N66BK with you.” The controller then instructed the pilot to turn right to a heading 130°; however, the pilot did not acknowledge. At 1054:46, the controller asked the pilot if he “copied” the heading instruction. The pilot responded about 4 seconds later and said, “130…Bravo Kilo.” At 1055:11, the controller instructed the pilot to climb and maintain 15,000 ft msl, but there was no response. The controller then made multiple attempts to re-establish communications with the airplane; however, there were no further communications. A review of radar data revealed that after the pilot established contact with departure control the airplane made a series of heading changes along with several climbs and descents before it entered a steep, descending left turn. The last radar return, at 1055:05, indicated the airplane was at an altitude of about 700 ft msl, descending about 31,000 ft-per-minute, on a heading of 090°. A witness was fishing about 150 ft west of the Fate Sanders Recreation Area boat ramp located on Lake Percy Priest, about 2.7 miles northeast of MQY. He described the weather as a very low ceiling in mist. The witness heard what he thought was a low flying military jet before he saw the airplane impact the lake in a “straight down” nose first attitude. He did not see any evidence of fire or an explosion. Examination of the accident site revealed that the airplane impacted a shallow section of the lake that was about 2 to 8-ft-deep. First responders and recovery personnel used underwater side sonar to identify larger pieces of wreckage, along with underwater rescue divers. The divers reported that the visibility in the water was poor due to the deep mud and silt that made up the lakebed. About two-thirds of the airplane were recovered from the lake, which included both engines, the main cabin door, portions of the main cabin windows, the left nose baggage door, all threelanding gear, most of the tail section, and sections of both wings, including portions of the flaps and ailerons. Several fractured seat frames and pieces of the interior were also recovered. There was no evidence of an in-flight fire observed on any of the recovered sections of airframe or engines. The airplane was not equipped; nor was it required to be equipped with a flight data recorder (FDR) or a cockpit voice recorder (CVR). No other sources of non-volatile recorded data were identified as being installed on the airplane. The airplane wreckage was retained for further examination. The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, multiengine land, and instrument airplane. He also held a private pilot certificate with a rating for rotorcraft-helicopter. The pilot held a type rating for the airplane with no restrictions. His most recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) second-class medical certificate was issued on November 12, 2019, with the limitation that he “must wear corrective lenses.” Initial review of the plot’s logbook revealed he had accumulated about 1,680 total flight hours; of which 83 hours were in the accident airplane.