I Learned About Flying From That

David Flitterman

Tuesday, December 30, 2008 at 10:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A routine IFR flight encountered a complete engine failure, compelling the pilot to execute a challenging but successful ditching of the aircraft in the sea.
After the ditching, survivors faced immediate dangers due to a failed life raft and lost life jackets, leaving them exposed and reliant on improvised flotation in cold water.
Their rescue was critically facilitated by a fortuitous chain of altruistic actions: a commercial airline spotted the downed plane and relayed coordinates, and a private helicopter subsequently provided a functional life raft and precise location data to official rescue services.

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It is a common aviation axiom that every accident is always a result of a succession of errors, rather than due to one single error. Well, I have learned that a successful rescue follows the same rules: It requires a chain of correct actions, altruism and fortunate coincidences.

I departed Madrid (Cuatro Vientos LECU) on the 30th of April at 1615 local time, on a routine IFR flight plan to Palma de Mallorca (LEPA). Estimated flight time was only one hour 20 minutes in our well-equipped PA-46T Piper Malibu JetProp. Planned flight level was FL 250 and all fuel tanks were filled to maximum capacity. Weather conditions were CAVOK throughout the route. My co-owner, David, and I had flown this airplane from the United States six years ago across the freezing Arctic, so this short jaunt with a super-reliable Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34 engine was no more than a yawn.