# Accident 19990420003789A: Cessna 402B, Ft Lauderdale, FL, April 20, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: April 20, 1999, 19:10 local time - Place: Ft Lauderdale, FL - Airport: Ft Lauderdale Executive - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing) - Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135) - Operator: XVQA - Location: 26.1896° N, 80.1703° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.1896&lon=-80.1703&mi=10 - Aircraft: N744MA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N744MA-2017-02-22) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 402B (registry code 207590P, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-402b) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental TSIO-520 series (registry code 17040, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 402B - Reported engine: CONT TSIO520E - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 2,600 total, 500 in this make and model, 110 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA99LA136](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99LA136) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990420003789A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. PILOT REPORTED ENGINE PROBLEMS, AND THE ACFT CRASHED ON 1/2 MILE FINAL APPROACH TO RWY 8, OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNKNOWN. (FROM .19) ON APRIL 20, 1999, ABOUT 1910 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 402B, N744MA, REGISTERED TO THREE AMIGOS FLYING SERVICES, INC., AND OPERATED BY EXECSTAR AVIATION, INC., AS A TITLE 14 CFR PART 135 NONSCHEDULED DOMESTIC CARGO FLIGHT FROM FORT MYERS, FLORIDA TO FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, CRASHED WHILE ATTEMPTING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH ENGINES WHILE ON APPROACH TO FORT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE COMMERCIAL-RATED PILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM FORT MYERS, THE SAME DAY, ABOUT 1830. WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO THE FORT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT, THE PILOT REPORTED TO FAA CONTROLLERS THAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING ENGINE MALFUNCTIONS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO CRASH ABOUT 1 MILE WEST OF THE AIRPORT. POSTCRASH EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BY AN FAA INSPECTOR SHOWED THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN IN A FIELD AND DURING LANDING ROLLOUT THE LEFT WING CONTACTED A TREE AND SEPARATE D FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE RIGHT ENGINE CONTROLS WERE IN THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN POSITION AND THE PROPELLER WAS IN A FEATHERED POSITION. THE RIGHT ENGINE FUEL SELECTOR WAS OFF. THE LEFT ENGINE CONTROLS WERE IN THE ENGINE SHUTDOWN POSITION AND THE LEFT ENGINE FUEL SELECTOR WAS IN THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK POSITION. THE LEFT PROPELLER WAS NOT IN A FEATHERED POSITION. THE RIGHT AUXILIARY FUEL TANK WAS UNDAMAGED AND CONTAINED 2.5 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS UNDAMAGED AND CONTAINED NO FUEL. THE LEFT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS UNDAMAGED AND CONTAINED ONE HALF GALLON OF FUEL. THE LEFT AUXILIARY FUEL TANK WAS RUPTURED DURING THE ACCIDENT. (-23) THE PILOT WAS RETURNING FROM A FLIGHT FROM FT. MYERS, FLORIDA, WHEN THE AIRCRAFT RAN OUT OF FUEL. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED WHILE ATTEMPTING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING LOSS OF POWER IN BOTH ENGINES WHILE ON A VFR APPROACH TO THE FT. LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (FXE) IN FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK SOME TREES AND CRASHED IN A FIELD ONE (1) MILE SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. (.4) WHILE ON APPROACH TO LAND THE LEFT ENGINE SURGED AND QUIT. THE PILOT SWITCHED THE LEFT ENGINE FUEL SELECTOR TO ANOTHER FUEL TANK AND THE ENGINE RESTARTED. A S HORT TIME LATER THE LEFT ENGINE SURGED AND QUIT AGAIN. THE PILOT SWITCHED THE LEFT ENGINE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK AND THE ENGINE AGAIN RESTARTED. A SHORT TIME LATER THE LEFT ENGINE QUIT AGAIN AND HE SHUTDOWN THE ENGINE AND FEATHERED THE PROPELLER. A SHORT TIME LATER THE RIGHT ENGINE SURGED AND QUIT. HE SHUT DOWN THE RIGHT ENGINE AND FEATHERED THE PROPELLER. HE THEN MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A FIELD AND DURING LANDING ROLLOUT THE AIRCRAFT'S LEFT WING COLLIDED WITH A TREE. A FIRE ERUPTED IN THE LEFT WING AREA. POST CRASH EXAMINATION SHOWED THE RIGHT MAIN FUEL TANK WAS EMPTY. THE RIGHT AUXILIARY FUEL TANK CONTAINED 2.5 GALLONS. THE LEFT MAIN FUEL TANK CONTAINED ONE HALF GALLON OF FUEL AND THE LEFT AUXILIARY TANK WAS RUPTURED. THE PILOT OPERATING HANDBOOK STATES THE MAIN FUEL TANKS HAVE ONE GALLON UNUSABLE FUEL AND THE AUXILIARY FUEL TANKS HAVE ONE HALF GALLON OF UNUSABLE FUEL. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB MIA99LA136](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA99LA136), Apr 20, 1999: Cessna 402B (N744MA), Fort Lauderdale, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: A loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and the pilot in command's failure to ensure that the aircraft had adequate fuel to complete the flight. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.