Cessna 402A accident near Del City, Texas, July 8, 2000
On July 8, 2000 at about 9:10 am local time, a Cessna 402A, registered N402NA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Del City, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the total loss of engine power on both engines during cruise due to fuel starvation as a result of the pilot's improper use of the fuel selectors. Contributing factors were the pilot's lack of familiarity with the aircraft, and the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 2000 · about 9:10 am local time
- Place
- Del City, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402A · all 402As on the register
- Registration
- N402NA · registry record · serial 402A-0033
- 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
At 11,000 feet, the left engine lost power when the pilot attempted to switch the fuel selector from the left main fuel tank to the left auxiliary fuel tank. The pilot stated that he was unable to restart the left engine after several attempts despite 'intensive trouble shooting' as per the checklist, and was unable to feather the left propeller during securing procedures. The pilot stated he used all the remaining fuel in the right tip tank, left tip tank, and the right auxiliary tank, and while descending to land, the right engine lost power due to fuel starvation. The pilot initiated a forced landing, and the airplane landed gear-up in high desert terrain. The pilot stated that upon landing he relocated the right engine's fuel selector to the off position in an effort to prevent a fire. After the accident, an FAA inspector found the fuel selectors for the left and right engines in the main and off positions, respectively. Usable fuel was found in both the left and right auxiliary fuel tanks. The pilot had a total of 15 flight hours in the accident airplane make and model, which included the accident flight.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,484 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 247 in the last 90 days; 110 in the last 30 days; 1,124 as pilot in command; 3 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,776 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 30, 2000; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Saber Cargo Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: DTO Denton TX at 7:00 am
- Destination: ELP El Paso TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 am from ELP, 67 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.