# Accident 19990716009199A: Cessna 411, Troy, MI, July 16, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: July 16, 1999, 18:00 local time - Place: Troy, MI - Airport: Troy/Oakland Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Starting Engines - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 42.5605° N, 83.1793° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.5605&lon=-83.1793&mi=10 - Aircraft: N660EM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N660EM-2013-04-30) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 411 (registry code 2075902, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-411) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 411 - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI99LA239](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA239) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990716009199A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. STARTED LEFT ENGINE NORMALLY, THEN STARTED RIGHT ENGINE. RIGHT ENGINE EXPOLDED, ACFT WAS EVACUATED. (.19)ON JULY 16, 1999, AT 1800 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA 411, N660EM, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE FROM FIRE AND EXPLOSIONS WHILE THE AIRPLANE WAS STARTING ENGINES AT OAKLAND/TROY AIRPORT, TROY, MICHIGAN. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT AND PASSENGER REPORTED NO INJURIES. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT WAS NOT ON A FLIGHT PLAN. THE AIRPLANE WAS ORIGINATING A FLIGHT TO FORT SCOTT, KANSAS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. IN A PHONE INTERVIEW, THE PILOT STATED THAT ABOUT 145 GALLONS OF 100 LOW LEAD FUEL WAS ADDED TO THE AIRPLANE'S FUEL TANKS BY THE FIXED BASE OPERATOR AT TROY. HE STARTED THE LEFT ENGINE FIRST WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. HE SAID THAT HE STARTED THE RIGHT ENGINE NEXT. HE SAID THAT HE HEARD A LOUD BACKFIRE OR EXPLOSION AFTER THE RIGHT ENGINE STARTED. HE SAID THAT HE HEARD A SECOND LOUD BACKFIRE OR EXPLOSION. HE SAID THAT HE SAW AN AREA, ABOUT A ONE-FOOT WIDE, EXPANDED UPWARD. THE AREA WAS DESCRIBED TO BE IN THE MIDDLE, TOP OF THE WING, AND ABOUT THREE TO FIVE FEET OUTBOARD OF THE EXHAUST. HE STARTED THAT THE PASSENGER SAW FLAMES COMING FROM THE RIGHT WING. HE SAID THAT HE SHUT DOWN BOTH ENGINES. HE STARTED THAT WITHIN 5 TO 10 SECONDS, HE SAW 2 OBSERVERS ON THE RAMP AREA THAT STARTED TO FLIGHT THE WING FIRE WITH THEIR EXTINGUISHERS. HE SAID THAT HE AND HIS PASSENGER EVACUATED THE AIRPLANE. ONE OF THE FIRE OBSERVERS STATED THAT HE HEARD TWO EXPLOSIONS AND SAW THAT THE FLAMES INITIALLY CAME FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE RIGHT WINGS'S TRAILING EDGE. HE DESCRIBED THE INITIAL FLAME AS ONE AND A HALF-FOOT WIDE, GOLDEN IN COLOR, AND A SURFACE TYPE FLAME. HE SAID THAT AS THE FLAMES GREW, THE FLAMES GAVE OFF BLACK SMOKE. HE SAID THAT HE FOUGHT THE FIRE WITH A 50-POUND DRY CHEMICAL TYPE C EXTINGUISHER. THE RESPONDING FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF SAID THAT A "COUPLE HUNDRED FOOT" COLUMN OF BLACK SMOKE COULD BE SEEN COMING FROM THE WING FIRE. HE STATED THAT THE RESPONSE TIME WAS FOUR TO FIVE MINUTES. HE SAID THAT THE TWIN CESSNA WAS FACING NORTH AND WIND WAS COMING FROM THE WEST. HE STATED THAT THE WEST WINDS BLEW THE FLAMES AWAY FROM THE FUSELAGE. HE SAID THAT THE RIGHT WING OUTBOARD OF THE ENGINE NACELLE WAS ON THE GROUND WITH SOME WIRING AND SOME MELTED STRUCTURE STILL PRESENT BETWEEN THE NACELLE AND THE WING. THE TOPS OF THE WING AND TIP TANK WERE MELTED. THE CHIEF SAID THAT FLAMES WERE OBSERVED COMING OUT FROM THE MELTED AREAS AND FROM THE NACELLE AREA. (-23) PILOT STARTED LEFT ENGINE; ENGINE STABILIZED. STARTED RIGHT ENGINE; HEARD ONE EXPLOSION. LOOKED OUT WINDOW. HEARD SECOND EXPLOSION AND SAW OUTBOARD WING PANELS BULGE, THEN FIRE. SHUT OFF ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL. EXITED AIRCRAFT. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO RIGHT WING. NO INJURIES. CAUSE CAN NOT BE DETERMINED. ## 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 CHI99LA239](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI99LA239), Jul 16, 1999: Cessna 411 (N660EM), Troy, MI, substantial damage. Probable cause: Engine explosion/fire during start for undetermined reason. 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.