Mitsubishi MU 300 incident near Little Rock, Arkansas, January 12, 2016
On January 12, 2016 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 1983 Mitsubishi MU 300, registered N200LP, suffered minor damage in an incident during takeoff near Little Rock, Arkansas (Bill And Hillary Clinton Natio airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 flight crew's inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane, during which they failed to see a fueling mat that had been placed on the inboard trailing edge of the right wing, which the right engine subsequently ingested during the takeoff roll. Contributing to the incident was the airplane fueler's failure to remove the fuel mat after fueling the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 2016 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Little Rock, Arkansas · Bill And Hillary Clinton Natio · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mitsubishi MU 300 NO SERIES, built 1983 · all MU 300s on the register
- Registration
- N200LP · no longer on the register · serial A006 S.A.
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot and the copilot were conducting an on-demand, air taxi flight with two passengers on board. The pilot reported that, during the takeoff roll, he heard a "grumble" and that the airplane began shaking. The passengers reported to the flight crew that they saw flames coming out of the right engine. The flight crew then stopped the airplane on the runway and shut down the engines. Postincident examination of the right engine revealed that it had ingested a fuel mat that airplane fuelers had placed on the inboard trailing edge of the wing during preflight fueling and failed to remove after fueling. The pilots reported that they did not conduct an exterior preflight inspection of the airplane after it was fueled and that, during a subsequent visual inspection of the fuel caps, they did not see the fuel mat because of its location on the right wing. The pilots' inadequate inspection of the airplane after it was fueled led to the right engine ingesting the fuel mat during the takeoff roll.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during takeoff defining event
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during takeoff
- Engine shutdown during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Flight crew
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › (general) › Effect on operation
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Flight service personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,286 hours in all; 720 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 4,976 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 13, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,618 hours in all; 1,097 in this make and model
- Last flight review: November 19, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,736 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 21, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 15,500 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney JT15-4D (turbofan); 7,696 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney JT15-4D (turbofan); 7,590 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Central Flying Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: LIT Little Rock AR
- Destination: LCH Lake Charles LA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 6,224 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KLIT, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on October 18, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.