Cessna 336 N3838U

Summary

On 6 August 2001 at about 03:15 local time, a Cessna 336 registered N3838U was involved in an accident near Palmdale, California, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 August 2001 at 03:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Palmdale, California, United States

Nearest airport

General William J Fox Airfield (WJF)

Coordinates

34.5281, -118.1136

Aircraft

Cessna 336

Registration

N3838U

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lancaster → El Monte

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

LAX01FA271

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection of the primer controls, resulting in excessive fuel flow, spark plug fouling, and loss of engine power in the aft engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane experienced a loss of engine power in the aft engine and collided with a guardrail during an off-airport emergency landing on a highway. The pilot flew the airplane earlier that afternoon with no mechanical discrepancies noted. After takeoff and leveling off at 4,500 feet, the pilot thought he noticed a loss of engine power in both engines because he was unable to maintain altitude. A forced landing was performed on a highway and the airplane went through a guardrail. A post accident examination revealed the primers were left unlocked with the aft engine primer pulled out approximately 1 inch. Black sooty deposits were discovered on the rear engine spark plugs. The primer is as an optional feature to assist in cold weather operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.