Accident Summary
On December 16, 2008, at 2252 central standard time, a Cessna 402B, registration N4504B, operated by Freight Runners Express, Inc., sustained substantial damage during a forced landing near Madison, Wisconsin. The commercial pilot was uninjured. The flight was a 14 CFR Part 135 on-demand cargo operation conducted under an instrument flight rules flight plan.
Flight History
The flight originated from Appleton, Wisconsin, at 2030, with a planned destination of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Prior to departure, the pilot obtained preflight information at 1935 indicating that General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) was closed but scheduled to reopen at 2015. During taxi, the pilot was informed of a 10-minute departure delay. After departure, the pilot reduced cruise speed by about 10 knots due to "backed up" traffic at MKE. En route, air traffic control (ATC) advised that MKE had reopened.
ATC provided radar vectors that took the flight over Lake Michigan and then westward for the ILS 7R approach. During the approach, MKE closed again due to a poor braking action report. The aircraft was vectored to a holding fix, where the pilot completed 1½ turns before receiving vectors for another ILS 7R approach. The aircraft flew the approach and was cleared to land on a 2-mile final, but ATC then instructed a missed approach after another poor braking action report closed the airport.
The pilot contacted the operator, who directed a diversion to Chicago/Rockford International Airport (RFD), Illinois. The pilot requested minimal vectors to RFD but did not use the specific phrase "minimum fuel." While en route, the indicated airspeed decreased by 15–20 knots as ice accumulated on the wings, described by the pilot as severe. Determining that fuel was insufficient to reach RFD, the pilot diverted to the closer Dane County Regional Airport-Truax Field (MSN), Madison, Wisconsin. He climbed to 8,000 feet to escape icing and received clearance for the ILS 36 approach at MSN.
As the aircraft neared the approach's decision height, the left engine began to sputter. The pilot shut down the engine and was thereafter unable to maintain altitude. The aircraft impacted terrain approximately 200 yards short of runway 36. A post-accident inspection revealed no usable fuel in the aircraft's fuel tanks.