Cessna 402B accident near Tullahoma, Tennessee, March 23, 1993
On March 23, 1993 at about 9:28 am local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N405PC, was destroyed in an accident near Tullahoma, Tennessee (Tullahoma Regional airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE DURING TAKEOFF. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ENSURE THAT THE AIRPLANE MAXIMUM GROSS TAKEOFF WEIGHT WAS NOT EXCEEDED, THE DARK NIGHT, AND RAIN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 23, 1993 · about 9:28 am local time
- Place
- Tullahoma, Tennessee · Tullahoma Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N405PC · no longer on the register · serial 402B1381
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE USED THE ENTIRE RUNWAY TO GET AIRBORNE, REACHED ABOUT 300 FT AGL AFTER LIFTOFF, AND DRIFTED RIGHT. IT THEN IMPACTED TREES ABOUT 1/3 MI FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY. DAMAGE TO THE TREES INDICATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS IN A RIGHT BANK AT IMPACT. BOTH PROPELLERS SHOWED EVIDENCE OF ROTATION AT IMPACT. ESTIMATED WEIGHT CALCULATIONS SHOWED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS AT LEAST 165 LBS IN EXCESS OF MAX GROSS WEIGHT; THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF FUEL ON BOARD PRIOR TO THE LAST REFUELING.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,302 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,693 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 1993; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Springdale Air Service
The flight
- Destination: CXY Harrisburg PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 5,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded at 800 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:40 am from THA, 1 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N405PC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.