N5291GCessna 305A · 1953

On July 4, 2016, about 1250 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 305, N5291G, was substantially damaged during a ditching into the Atlantic Ocean near Narragansett, Rhode Island. The commercial pilot was not injured. The airplane was owned and operated by Simmons Aviation Services LLC. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the banner-tow flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.According to the pilot, he performed a preflight inspection and sampled the fuel tanks with no anomalies noted. He then departed on the flight with 5 hours of available fuel. About 3.5 hours into the flight, the airplane was flying over the ocean about 500 ft above ground level when the engine lost total power. The pilot performed a forced landing to the water; the airplane sank, and came to rest in about 30 ft of water. The pilot egressed and was rescued a brief time later.

The airplane was recovered and initial examination revealed that the fuselage and right wing were substantially damaged. The two outboard auxiliary fuel tanks were absent of fuel. The main fuel tank was drained and held about 10 gallons of water and 9 gallons of fuel. The auxiliary inboard fuel tank was drained and held about 10 gallons of water and 9 gallons of fuel. The fuel selector was found in the auxiliary fuel tank position. It was moved and no anomalies were noted with the fuel selector. The electric boost pump switch was found in the ON position and fuel was noted in the fuel line to the electric boost pump. Fuel was also noted in the fuel bowl forward of the firewall: however, no fuel was noted in the carburetor bowl.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and sea, airplane multiengine land, and instrument airplane. His most recent first-class medical certificate was issued on June 5, 2015. At the time of the accident he had accumulated about 1,600 hours of total flight time, of which, 850 hours were in the accident make and model.

According to FAA records, the airplane was issued an airworthiness certificate in 1953, and registered to the corporation in 2011. It was equipped with a Continental Motors Inc. O-470-11B, a 213-hp, engine and a pressure type carburetor. According to the airframe maintenance logbook, the most recent annual inspection was performed on July 1, 2015, at a total time of 8,969.8 hours and tach time of 3,577.1 hours. According to the engine maintenance logbook, the most recent annual inspection was performed in accordance with "Lycoming" guidance on July 1, 2015, at 496.6 hours since major overhaul. While reviewing the maintenance logbooks, there were several discrepancies noted.

The airplane was equipped with a main fuel tank in the left wing, an auxiliary tank in the right wing, and two outboard auxiliary tanks, one in each wing. Both the main fuel tank and inboard auxiliary fuel tank had a fuel capacity of 19 gallons. The two outboard fuel tanks had a fuel capacity of 12 gallons. The total fuel capacity of the airplane was 62 gallons.

An examination of the engine revealed the it remained attached to the airframe through all engine mounts and the propeller remained attached to the crankshaft flange. In addition, crankshaft continuity was confirmed from the propeller flange to the accessory section of the engine by rotating the propeller by hand. The top spark plugs were removed and compression was noted on all cylinders. The spark plugs were examined and exhibited normal wear when compared to the Champion-Check-A-Plug Chart. Both magnetos produced spark when the propeller was rotated by hand. The cylinders were examined with a boroscope and corrosion consistent with salt water emersion was noted. The pressure carburetor was removed and corrosion was noted throughout. There were no obvious signs of mechanical anomalies with the engine that would have precluded normal operation prior to the accident