Date & Time: Sep 23, 1985 at 1242 LT
Type of aircraft:
Cessna 402
Operator:
Registration:
N402V
Flight Phase:
Landing (descent or approach)
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Freeport - Fort Lauderdale
MSN:
402C-0337
YOM:
1980
Location:
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood
Florida
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
2
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
0
Captain / Total flying hours:
6435
Captain / Total hours on type:
3100
Aircraft flight hours:
3338
Circumstances:
Pilot ditched aircraft in Atlantic Ocean after losing power in both engines. The three occupants escaped uninjured and were picked up by a nearby boat. The aircraft sank in approximately 800 feet of water about 5 minutes after ditching. Post accident inspection of operator records along with a statement from the previous pilot who flew the aircraft revealed that approximately 26 pounds of fuel remained on board the aircraft at the time of the accident. Cessna Aircraft Company representative stated that the cessna 402C aircraft has an unusable fuel capacity of 44.4 pounds in critical flight attitudes and that this figure is lower in more normal attitudes.
Probable cause:
Occurrence #1: loss of engine power (total) - nonmechanical
Phase of operation: descent - normal
Findings
1. (c) fluid, fuel - exhaustion
2. (c) aircraft preflight - improper - pilot in command
3. (c) fuel consumption calculations - improper - pilot in command
4. (c) refueling - not performed - pilot in command
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Occurrence #2: forced landing
Phase of operation: descent - emergency
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Occurrence #3: ditching
Phase of operation: landing - flare/touchdown
Final Report:
N402V.pdf89.54 KB