Cessna 401 accident near Great Bend, Kansas, May 20, 1996
On May 20, 1996 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 401, registered N701CJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Great Bend, Kansas. It was a business 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 failure of the exhaust header. Additional factors include the visual restrictions which prevented a detailed examination of the exhaust system, and the inadequate inspection procedures required in AD 75-23-08 R5.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 1996 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Great Bend, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 401 · all 401s on the register
- Registration
- N701CJ · registry record · serial 401A-0022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the third flight of the day, he noticed a 5 to 6 inch drop in manifold pressure on the left engine. He noticed a brownish substance oozing out of the access panels and along the forward rivet line of the left wing. He secured the left engine. Prior to making an emergency landing at Great Bend, Kansas, 12 miles away, he noticed the right tank fuel gauge was indicating a rapid loss of fuel. Examination of the aircraft revealed that the left engine's inboard exhaust header had broken completely where it was covered by a heat shield and behind a canted bulkhead. Exhaust gases caused extensive heat damage to the engine support structure and firewall, and ruptured the right fuel tank crossfeed fuel line behind the left engine firewall. A 100=hour maintenance inspection had been conducted just 17 flight-hours prior to the accident. AD 75-23-08 R5 had been complied with. The AD requires a visual inspection of the exhaust system, but not a detailed inspection requiring disassembly of the system. As designed, it was not possible to visually inspect the exhaust system without disassembly.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,195 hours in all; 834 in this make and model; 134 in the last 90 days; 96 in the last 30 days; 2,565 as pilot in command; 1,234 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,449 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 3, 1996; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCK Garden City KS at 7:30 pm
- Destination: MPR Mcpherson KS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 18 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.