The lawyers, in their haste to file the wrongful death lawsuit, misread the NTSB preliminary report, as have several posters in this thread. The "2 hours" originated from this:
The six-seat, high-wing, retractable landing gear airplane, serial number P21000133, was manufactured in 1978. It was originally equipped with a reciprocating engine; however, it was converted to a Rolls-Royce 250-B17F/2 turbo shaft 450-horsepower engine, equipped with a five-bladed composite MT propeller. Review of maintenance records revealed that the conversion was completed on July 19, 2021. At that time, the airframe had accumulated about 1,390 total hours and the engine had
accumulated 2.3 hours since overhaul.
The attorneys that filed the wrongful death lawsuit have had no way to ascertain the pilot's flight hours, whether they be total time, time in an unmodified P210, or the Silver Eagle conversion. There's no mention of deposition testimony. They're fishing.
It appears the pilot was qualified to operate the aircraft. However, it should be noted the accident flight was filed VFR. This is an oddity, because the turboprop conversion burns 24 GPH at 12,000', and 19.5 GPH at 23,000'. One would think the pilot would avail himself of the reduced fuel burn, greater endurance, and higher TAS in the flight levels.
The pilot apparently earned his PPL in 2015.
Certificate: PRIVATE PILOT
Date of Issue: 6/18/2015
Ratings:
PRIVATE PILOT
AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND
INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE
Limits:
ENGLISH PROFICIENT.
Since the conversion was completed on July 19, 2021, it's highly unlikely the pilot/owner had flown the airplane just two hours since the plane was returned to service. I think all of the hoopla surrounding his time in the plane is fixated on the NTSB preliminary report stating the engine had 2.3 hours TSMOH when installed in the airplane.
