- Date
- September 14, 1987, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wichita Falls, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N6249QCessna 401A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870914053199A
- Case key
- 22429
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 stated that the right engine quit after landing at the Wichita Falls, Texas airport. A witness stated that he attempted to start the engine several times when the right wing exploded during the last attempted engine restart. Damage was concentrated in the right wing between the engine nacelle and the main fuel tank. There was no fire associated with the explosion. Examination of the wreckage indicated that the explosion originated at the engine area and had emanated from within the wing. The pilot indicated that he had taken off on the main fuel tanks and then switched to the aux tanks during the flight. Before landing, he had switched back to the main tanks. According to the FAA inspector at the scene, the main fuel tanks were found 'overfilled beyond the filler openings.' The pilot operating handbook requires substantial operating time on main tanks prior to switching to aux tanks. The overflow from engines returns to the main tanks only.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6249Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 401A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 401A0049
- Airframe hours
- 3,860
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520E, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Martinair
- Registered owner
- George W. Plumly
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 24, 1986 · 85 hours before
- Departed
- DAL · Dallas, TX
- Airport
- SPS · Wichita Falls, runway 17, 7,001 × 150 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
- 52
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 9,730 total · 44 in this make and model · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SPS, 2 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.