NTSB blames misfuelling for Cessna 421 crash in Kentucky

A Cessna 421C that crashed in Kentucky in August had been filled with Jet-A instead of the avgas its piston engines require, the National Transportation Safety Board said in its final report.

The aircraft, registered N28RH, left Blytheville, Arkansas, on August 21 on an instrument flight to Lima, Ohio. Soon after departure the No. 1 cylinder on the right engine ran hot. The pilot levelled at 5,000 feet, but the trouble persisted, and he shut down and feathered that engine.

The left engine then began to lose power as well, and the twin could no longer hold altitude. The pilot tried to reach an airport, and instead put the aircraft down in a cornfield about two miles away. The right engine mount, fuselage and empennage were substantially damaged. Two people were seriously injured and two others suffered minor injuries.

Investigators found the aircraft had been refuelled with Jet-A at its departure airport. The fueler told the board he put roughly 70 gallons into the right wing and 75 into the left. He said the pilot asked only for the aircraft to be filled, and that he assumed Jet-A was wanted because pilots seeking 100LL normally used a self-service pump nearby.

The pilot told investigators he did not ask specifically for 100LL. He read the receipt after refuelling and saw Jet-A had been supplied, he said, but the group was in a hurry to get home and departed without checking or sampling the fuel.

The board concluded the probable cause was the refueller's misfuelling, and listed the pilot's failure to confirm the aircraft had been fuelled correctly before departure as a contributing factor. The airport manager said the fueler no longer works at the airport and that a form is being introduced for pilots to state the type and amount of fuel they need.