Cessna 414A N414CJ

Summary

On 23 January 2014 at about 20:30 local time, a Cessna 414A registered N414CJ, operated by Alelco Inc, was involved in an accident near Ashland, Missouri, United States. 3 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

23 January 2014 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Ashland, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Columbia Rgnl (COU)

Coordinates

38.7742, -92.2797

Aircraft

Cessna 414A

Registration

N414CJ

Category

Airplane

Year built

1979

Engines

2

Operator

Alelco Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Council Bluffs → Jefferson City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN14LA120

Nobody was injured.

The in-flight failure of both engines due to water contamination.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, during the descent to the destination airport, the airplane's left engine experienced a partial loss of power and that he attempted to troubleshoot the issue. Unable to restore the engine power, he secured the left engine, feathered the propeller, and advised air traffic control of the situation. Shortly after, the right engine experienced a partial loss of power and eventually only produced idle power. Unable to reach the destination airport, the pilot conducted a forced landing to a field. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed ice buildup in the fuel manifold valves, the fuel strainer bowls, and the fuel strainer screens. The left fuel strainer bowl contained a 1 3/8-inch thick piece of ice. Fuel samples from both of the airplane's fuel tanks and from the fuel supplier at the airport used to the fuel the airplane earlier in the day were tested, and no water contamination was found; the source of the water contamination could not be determined. It is likely that the loss of engine power resulted from water contamination and subsequent ice buildup in the fuel system.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.