Cessna 421 XB-FQS

Summary

On 6 May 2022 at about 19:18 local time, a Cessna 421 registered XB-FQS was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 May 2022 at 19:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Houston, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

William P Hobby (HOU)

Coordinates

29.6092, -95.2648

Aircraft

Cessna 421

Registration

XB-FQS

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Houston → San Antonio

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA190

4 people had minor injuries.

The fixed-base operator’s incorrect fueling of the airplane, which resulted in a total loss of power in both engines.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, before the flight, the airplane was fueled with 140 gallons of Jet A fuel. Shortly after takeoff, both engines lost total power. Because the airplane had insufficient altitude to return to the airport, the pilot executed a forced landing to a field and the left wing sustained substantial damage. A postcrash fire ensued. The investigation determined that the airplane was inadvertently fueled with Jet A fuel rather than AVGAS, which was required for the airplane’s reciprocating engines. The line service worker who fueled the airplane reported that there were no decals at the airplane fuel ports; however, postaccident examination of the airplane found that a decal specifying AVGAS was present at the right-wing fuel port. The investigation could not determine whether the same or a similar decal was present at the left-wing fuel port because the left wing was partially consumed during the postimpact fire.)

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.