Cessna 402B N419AR

Summary

On 14 March 2014 at about 21:30 local time, a Cessna 402B registered N419AR, operated by Marlin Moudy, was involved in an accident near Stuart, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 March 2014 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Stuart, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Witham Field Airport (SUA)

Coordinates

27.0604, -80.2701

Aircraft

Cessna 402B

Registration

N419AR

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

2

Operator

Marlin Moudy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Pierce → Stuart

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA156

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s improper preflight planning and fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of power in both engines due to fuel exhaustion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, he checked the fuel gauges before departure and believed he had enough fuel for the flight. As he approached his destination airport, he was instructed by an air traffic controller to enter a 2-mile left base. About 3 miles from the airport, the controller advised him to intercept a 6-mile final. About 1 1/2 miles from the runway, the left engine "quit." The pilot repositioned the fuel valve to the left inboard fuel tank and was able to restart the engine, but, shortly after, the right engine "quit." He then attempted to reposition the right fuel valve to the right inboard fuel tank to restart the right engine, but the left engine "quit" again, and the pilot subsequently made a forced landing in a field. An examination of the engine and airplane systems revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The left wing fuel tanks were found empty. The right wing was found separated from the fuselage. No evidence of fuel was noted in the right wing fuel tanks, and no evidence of fuel leakage was found at the accident site. The pilot reported that he saw fuel leaking out of the right wing fuel vent after the accident; it is possible that a small quantity of the airplane's unusable fuel for the right tank could have leaked out immediately after the accident. Although the pilot believed that the airplane had enough fuel onboard for the flight, his assessment was based on his calculations of the airplane's fuel burn during several short flights he made after having the airplane topped off with fuel the night before the accident; he did not visually check the fuel level in the tanks before departing on the accident flight. The lack of fuel in the fuel tanks, the lack of evidence of fuel leakage, the loss of engine power in both engines, and the lack of mechanical anomalies are consistent with fuel exhaustion.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.