Cessna 402 N98649

Summary

On 14 April 2020 at about 00:55 local time, a Cessna 402 registered N98649, operated by Air Exec Inc, was involved in an accident near Kirksville, Missouri, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 April 2020 at 00:55

Classification

Accident

Location

Kirksville, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Kirksville Rgnl (IRK)

Coordinates

40.0881, -92.5444

Aircraft

Cessna 402

Registration

N98649

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

2

Operator

Air Exec Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kirksville → St Louis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

CEN20LA149

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power after takeoff for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had just taken off and retracted the landing gear when the airplane experienced a substantial loss in engine power. He retarded the throttles to idle and landed the airplane on the remaining runway without lowering the landing gear, resulting in substantial damage to the rear spar caps. Both propellers were found in a feathered position although the pilot said he did not feather them. It is unlikely that the propellers feathered on their own, as the propeller control levers must be placed in the feathered position to feather them; however it could not be determined when the propellers were feathered. Postaccident examination revealed a small amount of water in the fuel selector sump bowl and left auxiliary tank sump bowls but not elsewhere in the fuel system. Thus, it is unlikely that the water found would have affected the performance of the engine. Subsequent engine runs on each engine using the same fuel that was onboard the airplane at the time of the accident revealed no anomalies and normal propellers cycles. No reason for a partial loss of engine power on either or both engines could be determined based on available evidence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.