Piper PA-46 (Malibu/Meridian/Mira... crash, Aug 31, 2015
Piper PA-46 (Malibu/Meridian/Mirage/Matrix/M-Class) accident on August 31, 2015 near Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France with no fatalities. Cause: BEA...
- Date: August 31, 2015
- Aircraft: Piper PA-46 (Malibu/Meridian/Mirage/Matrix/M-Class)
- Location: Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France
- Fatalities: 0
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: BEA (report BEA2015 0522): the engine failure resulted from incorrect refuelling with Jet A1; 100LL remaining in the feed lines allowed taxi and takeoff, and once used up, Jet A1 from the lower tank portions caused the power loss. Contributing factors included the coordination of the fuel order, a nozzle practice for refuelling helicopters, and an ineffective fuel type check.
A Piper PA 46 Malibu Mirage departed Cannes Mandelieu for Triengen, Switzerland, with a pilot and one passenger. Shortly after takeoff the engine lost power because it had been refuelled with Jet A1 instead of 100LL, and the pilot ditched a few hundred metres offshore. Both occupants were slightly injured and the aircraft sank; the BEA final report found that the incorrect refuelling and a missed fuel type check caused the engine failure.