Cessna 402B accident near Almont, Michigan, September 3, 1992
On September 3, 1992, a Cessna 402B, registered N7882Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Almont, Michigan. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
EXCESSIVE FUEL SYSTEM PUMP PRESSURE AND CORRESPONDING EXCESSIVE FUEL PRESSURE AND THE PILOT NOT MAINTAINING THE BEST SINGLE ENGINE CLIMB SPEED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 1992
- Place
- Almont, Michigan · 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
- N7882Q · no longer on the register · serial 402B0210
- 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
THE TWIN ENGINE CARGO AIRPLANE WAS PREPARING TO ENTER A BASE LEG FOR LANDING WHEN THE LEFT ENGINE CEASED OPERATING. DURING THE TRANSITION TO SINGLE-ENGINE OPERATIONS, THE PILOT STATED THE AIRPLANE'S AIRSPEED WENT BELOW THE SINGLE ENGINE BEST RATE OF CLIMB AIRSPEED AND A DESCENT WAS ENTERED. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS NOT ABLE TO TURN ONTO BASE LEG BECAUSE WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO DO SO THE AIRPLANE'S STALL WARNING SYSTEM WOULD ACTIVATE. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS NOT ABLE TO PITCH THE AIRPLANE'S ATTITUDE DOWN TO REGAIN AIRSPEED BECAUSE OF LOW ALTITUDE. THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND IN A CORN FIELD. THE ON SCENE INVESTIGATION AND POST ACCIDENT TESTING REVEALED THE LEFT ENGINE'S FUEL PUMP WAS DEFECTIVE AND HAD FLOODED THE ENGINE.
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 single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,233 hours in all; 272 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 6,825 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,985 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 28, 1992; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Royal Air Freight
The flight
- Departed from: SRB Sparta TN at 10:03 pm
- Destination: D98 Romeo MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from MTC, 15 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.
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.