The only good that comes out of aviation accidents is that learning can take place.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation into the August crash of a Cessna 421 near Fulton, Kentucky, has concluded in its final report that the aircraft lost power in flight due to the aircraft being misfueled.
The aircraft went down in a corn field shortly after takeoff. There were serious injuries to the pilot and one passenger, and the other occupant sustained minor injuries.
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Accidents are usually caused by a series of improper decisions, the so-called links in a chain. When pilots are in a hurry or preoccupied with “get-home-itis,” accidents are more prone to happen.
This accident is a prime example.
What Happened
The 73-year-old pilot reported that just after takeoff from Arkansas International Airport (KBHY) in Blytheville, he noticed the No. 1 cylinder on the right engine was running hot. He leveled the airplane at 5,000 msl and attempted to troubleshoot the issue, but the engine temperature continued to climb, so he decided to shut it down and make a precautionary landing at a nearby airport. The engine was shut down and the propeller feathered.
As he attempted to reach an airport he noticed the other engine was losing power, and he could no longer maintain altitude. The pilot attempted to increase power on the remaining engine in an effort to keep the aircraft in the air, but it could not produce sufficient power, and the pilot made a forced landing in a cornfield.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right engine mount, fuselage, and empennage.
The Investigation
According to the NTSB, a first responder on the scene sampled fuel from one of the airplane’s tanks with a paper towel and reported that the fuel did not have any color to it and smelled like diesel.
The agency conducted a postaccident interview with the fueler at the departure airport who confirmed that he had topped off the airplane with “pre-mixed jet-A.” The airport manager at the departure airport confirmed this, and produced a fuel receipt that showed the airplane had been fueled with 145 gallons of jet-A. The pilot signed the receipt.
In an interview with the pilot, he reported that he did not specifically tell the fueler that he wanted 100LL in the airplane. He also stated that he read the fuel receipt after fueling and that he did not inspect the fuel or sump fuel from the airplane tanks after the fuel was added because they “wanted to get home,” so they “got in the airplane and left.”
Preventing Mishaps
The Cessna 421 is a piston-powered airplane that operates on 100LL. Part of the knowledge required of pilots is knowing what fuel the aircraft takes, as engines are designed to run on specific fuels.
In private pilot ground school students learn what the different fuels look and smell like. 100LL is dyed blue and smells like model airplane glue. Jet-A is clear or straw colored and has a smell more like kerosene or diesel fuel.
Putting the wrong fuel in an aircraft results in poor performance and engine damage.
Pilots are taught to sump the fuel tanks during the preflight inspection to check for contaminants, such as water, and sump after an aircraft is refueled to remove any contaminants that may have been introduced to the tank during the process. This is also the opportunity to verify the correct fuel has been added.
Many flight instructors teach their clients to wait until after refueling has been completed then gently nudge the wings to stir up any contaminants. The motions encourage the contaminants to move to the lowest part of the tank, which is the fuel drains, also called the sump points. The pilot then waits a few minutes before sumping.
It can be an eye-opener to find water or other contaminants. Best practice is to sump until two clean samples are drawn before the engine is started.
The complete NTSB final report can be found below.
