- Date
- December 19, 2007, 18:00 local (23:00 UTC)
- Place
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N13616Cessna Citation 510
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20071219829309I
- Case key
- 67424
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
The flight crew's inadequate preflight, which failed to detect the blockage of the left wing's fuel vent port.
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 following information was provided to the Federal Aviation Administration by the Cessna Aircraft Company. The flight crew accepted the newly purchased airplane at the Independence Municipal Airport, Independence, Kansas, which departed on a ferry flight to Croatia. During cruise, a low fuel pressure annunciation was observed. A visual inspection with the airplane's wing inspection lights was conducted; the airplane's left wing upper skin was compressed aft of the center spar and forward of the aft spar. The flight was diverted to Allegheny County Airport, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and landed without an incident. Upon a ground inspection of the left wing, the left wing's fuel vent had been covered with a temporary vinyl applique used to cover the permanently painted Croatian registration numbers during the ferrying of the aircraft. The vinyl was to remain on the wings until the aircraft reached its destination where the Croatian registration would be revealed. The airplane's preflight checklist, exterior inspection, step 6, right wing, item "h" and step 11, left wing, item "C", both state "Fuel Tank Vent ---------Clear".
Factual narrative
The following information was provided to the Federal Aviation Administration by the Cessna Aircraft Company. The flight crew accepted the newly purchased airplane at the Independence Municipal Airport, Independence, Kansas, which departed from there on a ferry flight to Croatia. During cruise, a low fuel pressure annunciation was observed. A visual inspection with the airplane's wing inspection lights was conducted; the airplane's left wing upper skin was compressed aft of the center spar and forward of the aft spar. The flight was diverted to Allegheny County Airport, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which it landed without an incident.
Upon a ground inspection of the left wing, the left wing's fuel vent had been covered with a temporary vinyl applique used to cover the permanently painted Croatian registration numbers during the ferrying of the aircraft. The vinyl was to remain on the wings until the aircraft reached its destination where the Croatian registration would be revealed.
The airplane's preflight checklist, exterior inspection, step 6, right wing, item "h" and step 11, left wing, item "C", both state "Fuel Tank Vent ---------Clear".
Aircraft
- Registration
- N13616
- Reported as
- Cessna Citation 510
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 510-0049
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615F, turbo jet
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Stjepan Ban
- Registered owner
- Globe Aero Ltd Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KIDP · Independence, KS
- Destination
- Zagreb
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KAGC · Alleghney County Airport
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Other flight crew
- Age
- 0
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Flight hours
- 12,230 total · 1 in this make and model
- Role
- Pilot
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.31 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.