19870914053199A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 401A · Wichita Falls, TX · September 14, 1987

Date
September 14, 1987 · 14:00 local
Place
Wichita Falls, TX
Airport
Sheppard Afb-Wichita Falls Mun
Phase of flight
Starting Engines
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
GPMA
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N6249Q
NTSB investigation
NTSBFTW87LA217
Reported as
Cessna 401A
Reported engine
Continental TSIO520E
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
9,730 total44 in this make and model

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Explosion in right wing trying a restart on taxiway. Main tanks overflowed by return fuel. Backfire ignited vapors.

As the FAA filed it

EXPLOSION IN RIGHT WING TRYING A RESTART ON TAXIWAY. MAIN TANKS OVERFLOWED BY RETURN FUEL. BACKFIRE IGNITED VAPORS.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.