Cessna 401 N3219Q

Summary

On 6 November 1986 at about 09:44 local time, a Cessna 401 registered N3219Q was involved in an accident near Henderson, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

6 November 1986 at 09:44

Classification

Accident

Location

Henderson, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

36.0391, -114.9304

Aircraft

Cessna 401

Registration

N3219Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Las Vegas → Albuquerque

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

SEA87MA018

2 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

APPROXIMATELY 5 1/2 MINUTES AFTER DEPARTURE AND WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS CLIMBING ENROUTE, AN UNKNOWN IGNITION SOURCE TRIGGERED AN EXPLOSION OF FUEL/AIR VAPOR WHICH EXISTED WITHIN THE INTERIOR OF THE LEFT WING. WING SKIN FROM THE UPPER/LOWER WING SURFACE WAS LOST, HOWEVER, THE WING STRUCTURE REMAINED INTEGRAL AND THE PILOTS CONTINUED TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT EXECUTING A 180 DEGREE COURSE REVERSAL BACK TO MCCARRAN INTNL AIRPORT. SUBSEQUENT TO THE EXPLOSION A FIRE DEVELOPED WITHIN THE LEFT ENGINE AREA. AS THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED BACK TOWARDS MCCARRAN THE AIRSPEED GRADUALLY DIMINISHED AND THE LANDING GEAR WERE LOWERED. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE LEFT WING ENTERED A STALL CONDITION BROUGHT ABOUT BY A DECREASE OF AIRSPEED AS WELL AS THE DEGRADATION OF ITS LIFT DEVELOPING CAPABILITIES DUE TO THE EXPLOSION INDUCED DAMAGE. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLABLE LEFT ROLL SEVERAL HUNDRED FEET ABOVE GROUND FROM WHICH A SUCCESSFUL RECOVERY COULD NOT BE EXECUTED.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.