Cessna 404 accident near Cincinnati, Ohio, July 12, 1993
On July 12, 1993 at about 12:20 pm local time, a Cessna 404, registered N37167, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cincinnati, Ohio. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF A NUMBER THREE ENGINE CYLINDER HOLD DOWN BOLT DUE TO FATIGUE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 1993 · about 12:20 pm local time
- Place
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 404 · all 404s on the register
- Registration
- N37167 · no longer on the register · serial 4040129
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE'S NUMBER TWO ENGINE FAILED AND CAUGHT FIRE. THE PILOT PUT THE AIRPLANE IN A DIVE AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE FLIGHT DIVERTED TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT THE FIRE HAD BURNED THROUGH THE ENGINE COWLING AND DAMAGED THE RIGHT WING SPAR. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER THREE CYLINDER HAD SEPARATED FROM THE CRANKCASE AND THE ASSOCIATED FUEL INJECTOR LINE WAS DISCONNECTED FROM ITS FITTING. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATIONS OF THE NUMBER THREE CYLINDER COMPONENTS REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER THREE CYLINDER HOLD DOWN BOLTS FAILED DUE TO FATIGUE.
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: 13,500 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 13,500 as pilot in command; 1,600 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,091 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 4, 1993; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,400 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bowman Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: SMD Ft. Wayne IN at 11:30 am
- Destination: GVL Gainesville GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
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.