Cessna 402B incident near Nantucket, Massachusetts, November 29, 2011
On November 29, 2011 at about 6:33 pm local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N303PJ, suffered minor damage in an incident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Nantucket, Massachusetts (Nantucket Memorial Airport). It was a personal 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 right main fuel tank transfer pump, which resulted in a total loss of engine power on the right engine during approach due to fuel starvation, and a subsequent hard landing. Contributing to the incident was the pilot's operation of the airplane with a low fuel quantity.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 2011 · about 6:33 pm local time
- Place
- Nantucket, Massachusetts · Nantucket Memorial Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- 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
- N303PJ · no longer on the register · serial 402B1249
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The multi-engine airplane was approaching the destination airport with about 7 gallons of fuel remaining in each of the 50-gallon left and right main fuel tanks. While on short final approach to land, as the pilot fully extended the flaps, the airplane experienced a total loss of power on the right engine. The airplane touched down hard on a grassy area about 650 feet before the runway, bounced onto the runway, and came to rest. The pilot subsequently started both engines and taxied to the ramp area uneventfully. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right main fuel tank fuel transfer pump was inoperative. The fuel transfer pump was designed to operate continuously when the battery switch was in the on position. The purpose of the fuel transfer pump was to transfer fuel from the nose section of its respective main fuel tank to the fuel pick-up area near the center of the main fuel tank, which permitted steep descents with low main tank fuel quantity. It could not be determined when the fuel transfer pump failed; however, confirming pump operations was a required preflight inspection item for each main fuel tank.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during unknown
- Fuel starvation during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
- Landing area undershoot during landing
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel pumps › Failure
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 35,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 32,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 29, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,222 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 22, 2011; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental Motors TSIO-520B (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental Motors TSIO-520B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Nantucket Express LLC
The flight
- Departed from: OWD Norwood MA at 6:00 pm
- Destination: ACK Nantucket MA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from ACK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on March 14, 2012. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Interview Summaries | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | radar Plots | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Excerpts from Pilot's Operating Handbook | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | FAA Service Difficulty Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Weather Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo: Right Engine Cowling (Courtesy of Ack Manager) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Photo: Left Wing (Courtesy of Ack Manager) | PDF, 1 page | 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.