Cessna 401A N4062Q

Summary

On 17 December 2001 at about 23:50 local time, a Cessna 401A registered N4062Q was involved in an accident near Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 December 2001 at 23:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Eastern Wv Regional/Shepard (MRB)

Coordinates

39.4608, -77.9696

Aircraft

Cessna 401A

Registration

N4062Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Coatesville → Huntington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

IAD02LA020

Nobody was injured.

the owner/mechanic's failure to comply with an Airworthiness Directive, which resulted in a cracked fuel supply line and subsequent in-flight fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight, with the combustion heater turned on, the pilot heard an explosion. Smoke then entered the cabin, followed by a loss of electrical power. The pilot diverted and landed without incident. Examination of the airplane revealed that the combustion heater exhibited heat and fire damage. The fuel pump supply line that ran between the fuel pump and the heater was found cracked at the fuel pump housing inlet, and was loose. The fractured surfaces appeared dull, and displayed carbon build-up. Examination of the airplane's logbooks revealed that on December 1, 1993, the combustion heater had been removed, rebuilt, and then re-installed, at a total airplane time of 3,932.2 hours. Additionally, there were no logged entries which indicated that the 20-year old Airworthiness Directive that was issued to "prevent a hazardous condition caused by deterioration on the combustion heater", for this particular model heater had been complied with. The airplane underwent an annual inspection in September 2001, at a total airplane time of 5,213.5 hours. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accrued a total of 5,231.9 hours.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.