# Incident 20071219829309I: Cessna 510, West Mifflin, PA, December 19, 2007 - Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: December 19, 2007, 20:00 local time - Place: West Mifflin, PA - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Descent - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 40.3544° N, 79.9303° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.3544&lon=-79.9303&mi=10 - Aircraft: N13616, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N13616-2008-03-04) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 510 (registry code 2076617, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-510) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615F-A (registry code 52282, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pw615f-a) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 510 - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 12,300 total, 20 in this make and model, 20 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB MIA08CA046](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA08CA046) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20071219829309I ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (-23) AT CESSNA'S MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN INDEPENDENCE, KANSAS (IDP), A NEW CESSNA MUSTANG CE-510, S/N 0049, N13616, AIRCRAFT WAS SOLD TO SPECTATOR GRUPA, A COMPANY IN ZAGREB CROATIA. CESSNA N13616 IS REGISTERED TO GLOBE AERO LTD, INC. THIS COMPANY SOLD THE AIRCRAFT. AFTER THE PRODUCTION TEST FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT WAS PAINTED FOR THE NEW OWNER WITH THE CROATIAN REGISTRATION NUMBERS. FOR THE FLIGHT FROM IDP TO CROATIA, THE CROATIAN REGISTRATION NUMBERS ON THE TAIL AND UNDER THE LEFT WING WERE COVERED WITH A LARGE PORTION OF WHITE PLASTIC. THE PLASTIC WAS NEARLY THE SAME COLOR AS THE AIRCRAFT, AND THE LARGEST PIECE PLACED UNDER THE LEFT WING COVERED THE LEFT FUEL TANK AIR VENT. A UNITED STATES REGISTRATION NUMBER N13616 WAS TEMPORARILY APPLIED TO THE PLASTIC SHEET ON THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT. TWO PILOTS WERE ON BOARD, ONE REPRESENTING AND EMPLOYED BY THE CROATIA COMPANY BUYING THE AIRCRAFT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND A HIRED PILOT EMPLOYED BY GLOBE AERO LTD, INC. EXPERIENCED IN FERRYING NEW AIRCRAFT TO EUROPE. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ BEGAN THE FLIGHT FROM INDEPENDENCE, KANSAS TO CROATIA. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT DURING A SCHEDULED FUEL STOP AT ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT (AGC), WHILE DESCENDING FROM 27,000 FEET, THAT AT AROUND 18,000 FEET THEY HEARD A BANG AND NOTHING UNUSUAL WAS NOTICED WITH THE AIRCRAFT AT THAT TIME. A SHORT TIME LATER THE LEFT ENGINE FUEL PRESSURE LOW LIGHT ILLUMINATED. DURING THE REVIEW OF THE LOW FUEL PRESSURE PROCEDURES, THE TOP OF THE LEFT WING WAS OBSERVED TO BE DISTORTED AND A SECOND BANG WAS HEARD. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED THE DESCENT AND LANDED AT AGC AT 20:00E WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENT. INSPECTION ON 12/20/07 AT 09:30E BY ALLEGHENY FSDO PERSONNEL REVEALED THE PLASTIC COVERING THE FUEL VENT AND THE CROATIAN REGISTRATION NUMBERS WAS STILL IN PLACE. THE LEFT WING'S UPPER AND LOWER SKIN MAKING THE UPPER AND LOWER SECTIONS OF THE FUEL TANK WAS COLLAPSED. THE COLLAPSED SECTION WAS APPROXIMATELY 3/4 OF THE WING FROM THE ROOT OUTWARDS. THE DEPTH WAS NEAR 3 INCHES. THE LOWER WING SKIN WAS PUNCTURED FROM THE INSIDE OF THE FUEL TANK BY TWO BROKEN RIBS OR FORMERS PROTRUDING APPROXIMATELY 2 INCHES BY 1 INCH SQUARE. THE WICHITA MIDO WAS CONTACTED VIA THE PHONE, AND THE PRINCIPAL INSPECTOR FOR THE FACILITY WILL BE CONDUCTING FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS. AS DETAILED IN ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, PILOTS DID NOT NOTICE THE BLOCKED FUEL VENT UNDERSIDE OF LEFT WING DURING PREFLIGHT. BOTH PILOTS WERE COUNSELED REGARDING PREFLIGHT VIGILANCE AND ADHERENCE TO MANUFACTURER CHECKLISTS/PROCEDURES. ## 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 MIA08CA046](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/MIA08CA046), Dec 19, 2007: Cessna Citation 510 (N13616), Pittsburgh, PA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The flight crew's inadequate preflight, which failed to detect the blockage of the left wing's fuel vent port. 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.