20000601009319A

(-23) See attached NTSB preliminary report. (Narrative from NTSB .19) on June 1, 2000, about 1005 hours mountain standard time, a Cessna 414A, N414PS, experienced a suspected pressurization malfunction during cruise flight. The pilot made a precautionary landing on a road in a housing development under construction near Prescott valley, Arizona. During rollout, the aircraft collided with obstructions. The aircraft sustained substantial damage; however, the pilot and his two dogs were not injured. The aircraft was being operated as a business flight by the owner/pilot under 14 CFR part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight originated from van nuys, California at 0721, with an intended destination of las vegas, new Mexico. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an IFR flight plan was filed. The pilot reported that he was in cruise flight at 13,000 feet MSL when he heard a loud sound. His ears "popped" and his dogs began barking. Concerned that he had lost pressurization, he looked for a suitable landing site. After seeing what he believed was an airport below him, he circled the field to the left and initiated an approach from the west. On short fin al, he noticed a truck parked on the left side of what he believed was a runway near the approach end and lengthened his approach, clearing the vehicle by about 4 or 5 feet. Just prior to touchdown, the right wing of the aircraft struck a streetlight, losing about a 4-foot outboard section of the right wing. The aircraft then touched down, bounced, and touched down again, crossing an intersection, striking a stop sign and another streetlight. The aircraft then began veering right off the paved portion of the roadway, striking an electrical utility box with outboard section of the extended left flap. The aircraft came to a stop, facing south, about 200 yards from the impact point. The pilot shut down the aircraft and deplaned himself and his dogs without further assistance. The safety board investigator who examined the aircraft found that a clamp on a hose connecting the plenum chamber to the upper plenum had separated. The representatives from Honeywell and Cessna opined that the absence of the clamp could have prevented the pressurization system from maintaining the desired cabin pressure. The pilot reported to investigators that he smoked about three packs of cigarettes per day. The aircraft cabin had a strong tobacco odor. The door seal, outflow valve, and safety valve exhibited dark brown tar-like deposits.