Cessna 401A accident near Mobile, Alabama, November 6, 1987
On November 6, 1987 at about 11:55 pm local time, a Cessna 401A, registered N6250Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mobile, Alabama. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 6, 1987 · about 11:55 pm local time
- Place
- Mobile, Alabama
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 401A · all 401As on the register
- Registration
- N6250Q · no longer on the register · serial 401-A-0050
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RELATED THAT HE WAS CLIMBING THROUGH 4,300 FT WHEN HE LOST THE LEFT TURBOCHARGER. HE THEN NOTED SPARKS AND THEN FIRE FROM THE ENGINE. HE SHUT OFF THE FUEL, WAITED FOR THE FIRE TO GO OUT AND FEATHERED THE PROPELLER. THE FLT WAS CONTINUED TO MONTGOMERY, AL WHERE THE ACFT WAS BASED AND A NO FLAP LANDING WAS EXECUTED. NO FURTHER PROBLEMS WERE ENCOUNTERED. INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE COUPLING FROM THE EXHAUST TO THE WASTE GATE HAD FAILED ALLOWING EXHAUST GASES TO ESCAPE INTO THE ENGINE COWLING. ACFT DAMAGE INCLUDED ENGINE MOUNT BEAMS AND THE WING SPAR THROUGH THE ENGINE NACELLE. AD 75-23-08 R5 DOES NOT APPLY TO THE FRACTURED COMPONENT.
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: 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: 26,922 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 26,922 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,730 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 1987; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Montgomery Air Service
The flight
- Departed from: BFM Mobile AL at 11:40 pm
- Destination: MGM Montgomery AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.