Cessna 421C N13RF

Summary

On 11 June 2018 at about 05:40 local time, a Cessna 421C registered N13RF was involved in an accident near Plant City, Florida, United States. 2 people were 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

11 June 2018 at 05:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Plant City, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Plant City Airport (PCM)

Coordinates

28.0003, -82.1633

Aircraft

Cessna 421C

Registration

N13RF

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Plant City → Immokalee

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

WPR18LA166

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff, which resulted in a runway overrun. Contributing to the accident was an engine anomaly for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information, and the pilot's failure to activate the runway lighting system before takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During takeoff on a night aerial observation flight, the pilot reported that the airplane did not accelerate adequately, and he chose to abort the takeoff. The airplane continued off the end of the runway and came to rest in a field about 750 ft past the departure end, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. Examination revealed that the left engine turbocharger compressor air duct was disconnected from the throttle body. The right engine's engine-driven fuel pump was contaminated with water and debris and would not produce normal pressures and flow; however, whether these anomalies were present at the time of the accident or occurred as a result of or after the accident could not be determined. There were no other anomalies observed that would have precluded normal engine operation. Review of performance information revealed that, given the airplane's weight and atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident, the pilot had adequate runway available to accelerate the airplane to a decision speed, abort the takeoff, and stop on the remaining runway. Airport surveillance video revealed that the pilot did not activate the pilot-controlled runway lighting before takeoff, and tire skid marks on the runway were consistent with heavy braking within the last 200 ft of the runway's paved surface. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot's delayed decision to abort the takeoff. The pilot's failure to activate the runway lighting system before takeoff likely contributed to the accident by reducing his ability to judge the airplane's acceleration with respect to the runway distance remaining and abort the takeoff in a timely manner upon recognizing an anomaly.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.