# Accident 20171122019679A: Cessna 421C, Presque Isle, ME, November 22, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 22, 2017, 18:24 local time
- Place: Presque Isle, ME
- Airport: Northern Maine Regional Airport At Pr
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: F47A
- Location: 46.6889° N, 68.0447° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=46.6889&lon=-68.0447&mi=10
- Aircraft: N421RX, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N421RX-2023-04-01) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 421C (registry code 2076016, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-421c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental GTSI0-520-F-K (registry code 17031, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-gtsi0-520-f-k) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 421C
- Reported engine: CONT MOTOR GTSI0-520-F-K
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 4,500 total, 3,650 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA18LA033](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18LA033) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20171122019679A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

THE FOLLOWING SUMMARY OF EVENTS IS TAKEN FROM A WRITTEN STATEMENT PROVIDED BY THE PIC: AIRCRAFT PERFORMED NORMALLY DURING TAKEOFF ROLL. ONCE AIRBORNE, THE LANDING GEAR WAS RETRACTED. PILOT STATED HE SAW FLAMES COMING OUT OF THE LOUVERS OF THE LEFT ENGINE. HE THEN PULLED BACK THE LEFT THROTTLE AND SHUT OFF FUEL PUMP. NO NOTICEABLE REDUCTION IN FLAMES. PILOT FEATHERED THE PROP, SHUT DOWN AND SECURED THE LEFT ENGINE, AND BEGAN TURNING LEFT TO ATTEMPT A RETURN TO RUNWAY 19. FLAMES REMAINED IN LEFT ENGINE COMPARTMENT. LANDING GEAR WAS LOWERED DURING DESCENT FOR RUNWAY 19, BUT PILOT FELT GEAR WAS LOWERING SLOWLY DUE TO SINGLE ENGINE RUNNING CLOSE TO IDLE. STILL TOO HIGH TO MAKE RUNWAY 19, PILOT DECIDED TO ATTEMPT LANDING ON RUNWAY 10. WITHOUT ENOUGH AIRSPEED TO MAKE RUNWAY 10, PILOT BELIEVED THE LAST OPTION WAS TO LAND IN THE FIELD PARALLEL TO RUNWAY 10. PILOT INITIATED AN EVACUATION DUE TO FEAR OF FIRE.

ON-SCENE INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT TOOK PLACE ON 11-24-17. FLIGHT CONTROLS FOUND IN THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS:

?L/R THROTTLE FULL FORWARD

?L PROP FEATHERED, R PROP FULL FORWARD

?L/R MIXTURE APPROX 75% FULL FORWARD

?L FUEL SELECTOR ON R TANK

?R FUEL SELECTOR NORMAL

?CROSSFEED SHUTOFF VALVE CLOSED

DURING INTERVIEW BY PHONE ON 12-20-17, PILOT STATED HE DID NOT UTILIZE THE FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM OR REFER TO HIS CHECKLIST AT ANY TIME. PIC ALSO SAID HIS DECISION TO LAND IN FIELD WAS BECAUSE HE DID NOT KNOW IF THE LANDING GEAR WAS UP OR DOWN.

## 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 ERA18LA033](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA18LA033), Nov 22, 2017: Cessna 421 (N421RX), Presque Isle, ME, substantial damage. Probable cause: The in-flight leakage of fuel from the fuel injection system's mixture shaft onto the hot turbocharger, which resulted in an in-flight fire, and the pilot's inability to see the runway due to reduced…

## Other reports on N421RX (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20110328003829I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110328003829I), Mar 28, 2011: Cessna 421C (N421RX), Bangor, ME, No damage. This office notified by new england area operations center that: "N421RX, C421, inbound to Bangor Maine shutdown #2 engine for an unspecified reason. Aircraft…

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.

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