Cessna 402B TS N51SA

Summary

On 19 December 1984 at about 12:00 local time, a Cessna 402B TS registered N51SA, operated by Hawkins Air, was involved in an accident near Tonopah, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

19 December 1984 at 12:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Tonopah, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Tonopath (TPH)

Coordinates

38.8007, -118.1109

Aircraft

Cessna 402B TS

Registration

N51SA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Hawkins Air

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Las Vegas → Reno

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

SEA85LA032

Nobody was injured.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

WHILE CRUISING AT 1600 FT MSL ON TOP OF CLOUDS, A LOSS OF POWER IN THE LEFT ENG OCCURRED. THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENG, BUT WAS UNABLE. HE FEATHER THE ENG WHILE DIVERTING TO TONOPATH, NV. THE ACFT WOULD NOT MAINTAIN ALT USING 1 ENG. THE LAST REPORTED WX AT TONOPAH WAS 400 FT BROKEN, 800 FT OVERCAST. OVER TONOPAH, THE PLT MADE A DESCENDING SPIRAL IN IMC. DURING THE DESCENT, ICING CONDITIONS WERE ENCOUNTERED. THE ACFT BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT ABOUT 400 FT AGL (AT NIGHT), BUT THE PLT COULD NOT SEE THE ARPT. HE STILL COULD NOT MAINTAIN ALT & MADE A FORCED LANDING WITH THE GEAR RETRACTED. AN EXAM OF THE LEFT ENG REVEALED NO PREIMPACT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. AN EXAM OF THE LEFT FUEL SELECTOR BOWL REVEALED SIGNS OF MICROBIOLOGICAL GROWTH. ALSO, THERE WAS HEAVY MICROBIOLOGICAL GROWTH ON THE LEFT FUEL FILTER. WATER & MICROBIOLOGICAL GROWTH WERE FOUND IN THE LEFT FUEL TANK. STC SA117NW REQUIRED THE ADDITION OF ANTI-ICING & ANTI-BIOLOGICAL ADDITIVES TO THE FUEL. NO ADDIVTUE WAS USED AT THE PREVIOUS REFUELING.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.