- Date
- December 8, 1997, 21:18 local (Dec 9, 1997, 03:18 UTC)
- Place
- Milwaukee, WI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N728QACessna 402A
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 15, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19971208037529A
- Case key
- 10800
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Inadequate preflight planning/preparation, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot said that he noted 10 gallons on 'each side' prior to initiating an approach. He said that about five minutes later the left engine lost power and about three minutes after that the right engine also sustained a loss of power. The damage to the airplane occurred during an undershoot to the intended runway. Emergency response individuals found no usable fuel in the airplane's fuel tanks. The pilot said that the accident might have been prevented by, 'Visual inspection of all fuel tank with calibrated device.'
Factual narrative
On December 8, 1997, at 2118 central standard time, a Cessna 402A, N728QA, operating as Freight Runner Flight 1539, sustained substantial damage when it undershot a landing on runway 19R (9,690' X 200' dry/concrete) at General Mitchell International Airport, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The pilot reported no injuries. The pilot reported engine trouble to Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control during the approach to landing. Emergency response individuals to the accident found no usable fuel in the airplane fuel tanks. The 14 CFR Part 135 flight was operating on an IFR flight plan in instrument meteorological conditions. The last departure point was Madison, Wisconsin, at 2010.
In his written statement the pilot stated that prior to initiating the approach, the indication was that 10 gallons remained on "each side." This was about 5 minutes prior to the loss of power on the left engine which was followed about 3 minutes later by loss of power on the right engine. The pilot said that the accident might have been prevented by, "Visual inspection of all fuel tank with calibrated device."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N728QA
- Reported as
- Cessna 402A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 402A0068
- Airframe hours
- 11,030
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-E, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Freight Runners Express, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 9, 1997 · 185 hours before
- Departed
- MSN · Madison, WI
- Destination
- MKE
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MKE · General Mitchell Intl, runway 19R, 9,690 × 200 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 35
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,000 total · 300 in this make and model · 2,800 as pilot in command · 70 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MKE
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.