Cessna 421 N28RH accident near Fulton, Kentucky

Probable cause

The misfuelling of the airplane by the refueler. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to verify that the airplane had been properly fueled prior to departing on the accident flight.

NTSB analysis

The pilot of the reciprocating, multi-engine airplane reported that, after takeoff while climbing to altitude, the #1 cylinder on the right engine was running hot. He leveled the airplane at 5,000 mean sea level (msl), but the cylinder continued to run hot, so he elected to feather the propeller and shut down the engine. As he attempted to navigate to an airport, he noticed that the other engine was beginning to deteriorate and he was no longer able to maintain altitude. He attempted to increase power on the remaining engine but about 2 miles from the airport he performed a forced landing to a cornfield. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right engine mount, fuselage, and empennage as a result.

A first responder on scene sampled fuel from one of the airplane’s fuel tanks with a paper towel and reported that the fuel did not have any color to it. She also reported that the fuel smelled like diesel fuel. A postaccident interview with the fueler at the departure airport confirmed that he had topped off the airplane with “pre-mixed Jet-A.” The airport manager at the departure airport confirmed that the fueler used Jet-A fuel when filling the airplane. A fuel receipt was provided by the airport manager, and was signed by the pilot, that showed the airplane had been fueled with 145 gallons of Jet-A.

In an interview with the pilot, he reported that he did not specifically tell the fueler that he wanted 100LL in the airplane. He also stated that he did read the fuel receipt after fueling and that they “wanted to get home” so they “got in the airplane and left.” The pilot did not inspect or sample fuel from the airplane’s tanks after the fuel was added.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA26LA314 for the full record.