Cessna 401 N6255Q

Summary

On 18 November 2025 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna 401 registered N6255Q was involved in an accident near Eureka, North Carolina, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

18 November 2025 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Eureka, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.5707, -77.8724

Aircraft

Cessna 401

Registration

N6255Q

Category

Airplane

Year built

1969

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Greenville → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA26LA050

1 person had minor injuries.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On November 18, 2025, at 12:30 eastern standard time, a Cessna 401A, N6255Q, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Eureka, North Carolina. The commercial pilot received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 aerial observation flight. The pilot reported that, prior to the flight, he had the airplane serviced with 124 gallons of fuel, topping off the fuel tanks. The pilot stated that the preflight inspection, takeoff, and climb to 17,000 ft were uneventful. During the flight, the pilot transferred the fuel in the locker tanks into the main fuel tanks; shortly after emptying the locker tanks, he switched to the auxiliary fuel tanks. The pilot stated that he utilized the auxiliary fuel tanks until they were at the 5-gallon mark on the fuel gauges. The pilot then switched to the main fuel tanks; shortly thereafter, he reported the left engine lost power. As he started performing the emergency checklist, the right engine lost power. After the losses of engine power, the pilot stated that he trimmed the airplane for 120 knots. The pilot determined he would be unable to reach his selected airport and decided to perform a forced landing in a field. The pilot lowered the landing gear and set the flaps to 10°. After landing on the field, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to a stop. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the fuselage. According to the recovery personnel, about 2 gallons of fuel were drained from each auxiliary tank, and about 25 gallons were drained from each main fuel tank. The wreckage was recovered and retained for further examination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.