Cessna 402B accident near Alabaster, Alabama, August 14, 2005
On August 14, 2005 at about 11:30 am local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N1399G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alabaster, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 2005 · about 11:30 am local time
- Place
- Alabaster, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1399G · no longer on the register · serial 402B0573
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight departed the airport on a fairy permit heading southeast. About 25 minutes into the flight, at a cruise altitude of 3500 feet, the pilot noticed a significant loss of power from the left engine followed by the left engine failing. Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful and the left engine was feathered. The right engine would not generate more then 29 inches of manifold pressure without running rough. The airplane turned toward Shelby County Airport, the closest airport to the airplane's current position, and the pilot attempted to perform an emergency landing. The airplane continued to lose altitude and at 900 feet the pilot chose to force land on a road, 3 miles southeast of the Shelby Airport. The airplane collided with a raised manhole cover and two roadside objects upon landing. Examination of the airplane found the airplane to the right side of the road with the right gear detached. The right wing had two tears in the leading edge. The left engine was run after the accident for a period of four minutes at 1800 RPM. The prop was cycled out of feather, the magnetos, oil pressure, and fuel pressure were checked. All engine checks were satisfactory to normal standards. The airplane had not been flown in over two years and sat outside a hanger for two weeks prior to being flown with no fuel in either tank. The fuel tanks were filled to capacity the morning of the accident flight. No contaminates were found in the fuel.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EKY Bessemer AL
- Destination: FL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KBHM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.