The important thing to know, however, is that multi-engine airplanes simply aren’t immune to the ditching scenario and thus pilots need to carry the same safety equipment that single-engine pilots should.
Also worth noting is why the twins wound up in the water: On the 29 which ditched, 13 appeared to be bonafide mechanical problems in which engines quit for what appeared to be failures of some kind. Again, the blue water crowd is at greater risk. Eight of these incidents involved long range ferry jobs and in five of these ditchings, the pilot was unable to maintain altitude after shutting an engine down because the airplane was legally overgross with excess fuel for ferry. In that sense, the ferry pilot suffers a unique risk; until he’s burned off most of his fuel, having a second engine does him no good.
In general, a ditching induced by fuel exhaustion is the province of single-engine pilots but twin drivers are hardly immune. Five of the 29 multi-engine ditchings were the result of fuel exhaustion compared to 45 fuel exhaustion or mismanagement incidents among singles.
Myth: A Ditched Helicopter Sinks Like a Stone If this is true, it doesn’t seem to effect survival rates. Our research turned up 19 helicopter ditchings, some in challenging conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. These produced only one fatality and in that case, the pilot drowned while swimming to shore.
Two interesting observations relative to helos: They tend not to run out of gas but to break. Half of the helo splashes involved known mechanical failures, four involved fuel contamination but none involved fuel exhaustion. Second, helos involved in overwater operations are frequently equipped with skid floats. In at least three cases, these floats failed to inflate as pilots fluttered toward the water in autorotation. Nonetheless, pilots and crew survived the ditchings, which may involve rollovers or pitch-poling as the rotor blades strike the water and dissipate energy in unpredictable ways.
Some Conclusions Because ditching accident details are wanting, drawing incontrovertible conclusions from a review of accidents is tricky business. But one thing is certain: Landing an airplane in the water under control is a highly survivable experience that appears to take very little skill, experience or preparation. Nine out of 10 pilots who attempt it succeed, even when ditching offshore in the ocean.
Wind-Swell-Ditch Heading
Emergency Evacuations 48
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