At 1428 eastern time, a Cessna 414 ditched into Long Island Sound about six miles north of Port Jefferson. The pilot was not injured. The flight had departed Orlando, Fla., about four hours earlier with an estimated 5.5 hours of fuel on board. As the pilot neared his destination of Westchester County Airport, he encountered air traffic control delays. He became concerned about his fuel status and informed the controller that he had minimum fuel. He was vectored to Bridgeport, Conn., but during the descent the engines stopped. The pilot informed the controller he was going to ditch and made a soft water landing. After exiting the airplane, the pilot said he got hit in the face with a wave that contained the smell and taste of gasoline. The airplane had recently been painted, during which time the tip tanks had been resealed. The airplane came to rest in 80 feet of water.
May 26, Port Jefferson, N.Y. / Cessna 414
At 1428 eastern time, a Cessna 414 ditched into Long Island Sound about six miles north of Port Jefferson. The pilot was not injured. The flight had departed Orlando, Fla., about four hours earlier with an estimated 5.5 hours of fuel on board. As the pilot neared his destination of Westchester County Airport, he encountered air traffic control delays. He became concerned about his fuel status and informed the controller that he had minimum fuel. He was vectored to Bridgeport, Conn., but during the descent the engines stopped. The pilot informed the controller he was going to ditch and made a soft water landing. After exiting the airplane, the pilot said he got hit in the face with a wave tha...
Key Takeaways:
- A Cessna 414 ditched into Long Island Sound after running out of fuel due to air traffic control delays near its destination.
- The uninjured pilot declared minimum fuel to ATC, was vectored to an alternate airport, but the engines stopped during descent, prompting him to make a soft water landing.
- The aircraft had recently been painted, during which time its tip tanks were resealed, and came to rest in 80 feet of water.
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