Uncoordinated Flight Eyed in TBM 850 Manitoba Flameout

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSBC) is examining whether extended uncoordinated flight could have contributed to a Daher TBM 850 losing engine power over Manitoba on June 26, forcing the pilot to land on a highway after being unable to reach a diversion airport, according to a preliminary accident report. One of four people aboard sustained minor injuries; the aircraft, registered as C-GOWX, was substantially damaged. 

A TSBC review of flight data indicated that the aircraft had been flying uncoordinated for an extended duration before the engine failure, the preliminary report notes. “The TBM 850 flight manual includes a caution against uncoordinated flight lasting more than 30 seconds,” it states. The OEM has also published flight information letters to TBM operators “regarding previous instances of fuel starvation caused by unporting—a condition in which sustained uncoordinated flight causes fuel to shift away from the tank’s pickup point, interrupting engine fuel supply.”

The aircraft was on an IFR flight from The Pas Airport (CYQD) in Manitoba to Brandon Municipal Airport (CYBR). While descending through 13,000 feet approximately 40 nm north of CYBR, the engine stopped producing power. The pilot attempted a restart without success, notified ATC, and diverted toward Erickson Municipal Aerodrome (CKQ6) in Manitoba. The aircraft could not cover the distance to the aerodrome in a glide and touched down on Provincial Trunk Highway 45, where it left the road and came to rest in the adjacent ditch.