Cessna 402B N303PJ

Summary

On 29 November 2011 at about 18:33 local time, a Cessna 402B registered N303PJ, operated by Nantucket Express LLC, was involved in an incident near Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 November 2011 at 18:33

Classification

Incident

Location

Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Nantucket Memorial Airport (ACK)

Coordinates

41.2531, -70.0603

Aircraft

Cessna 402B

Registration

N303PJ

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Nantucket Express LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Norwood → Nantucket

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA12IA090

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the right main fuel tank transfer pump, which resulted in a total loss of engine power on the right engine during approach due to fuel starvation, and a subsequent hard landing. Contributing to the incident was the pilot's operation of the airplane with a low fuel quantity.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The multi-engine airplane was approaching the destination airport with about 7 gallons of fuel remaining in each of the 50-gallon left and right main fuel tanks. While on short final approach to land, as the pilot fully extended the flaps, the airplane experienced a total loss of power on the right engine. The airplane touched down hard on a grassy area about 650 feet before the runway, bounced onto the runway, and came to rest. The pilot subsequently started both engines and taxied to the ramp area uneventfully. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right main fuel tank fuel transfer pump was inoperative. The fuel transfer pump was designed to operate continuously when the battery switch was in the on position. The purpose of the fuel transfer pump was to transfer fuel from the nose section of its respective main fuel tank to the fuel pick-up area near the center of the main fuel tank, which permitted steep descents with low main tank fuel quantity. It could not be determined when the fuel transfer pump failed; however, confirming pump operations was a required preflight inspection item for each main fuel tank.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.