Cessna 402B accident near Eau Claire, Pennsylvania, September 8, 1993
On September 8, 1993 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N4504B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eau Claire, Pennsylvania. It was a positioning 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 separation of the number four cylinder on the airplane's left engine for undetermined reasons. A factor in the accident was the rough/uneven terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 8, 1993 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Eau Claire, Pennsylvania · 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
- N4504B · no longer on the register · serial 402B1370
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight, the airplane's left engine lost total power. Due to the damage incurred by the engine during its failure, the propeller could not be feathered and the airplane could not sustain flight. The pilot made an emergency landing in a field and during the roll out the left main gear and nose gear collapsed. Post accident examination of the failed engine revealed the number four cylinder and piston were gone from the case. The left case and fasteners were examined at the Safety Board's Materials Laboratory. The examination revealed fatigue cracking in the engine case, through bolts and studs. Three of the six studs around the number four cylinder were not recovered. The initial failure was not determined.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,132 hours in all; 1,765 in this make and model; 126 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 4,080 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,584 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 20, 1993; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Freight Runners Express INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MDT Harrisburg PA at 4:15 pm
- Destination: MKL Milwaukee WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft; not recorded at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:46 pm from AOO, 60 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 N4504B 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.