Cessna T337G accident near Windsor Twnship, Pennsylvania, August 9, 1998
On August 9, 1998 at about 5:38 pm local time, a Cessna T337G, registered N8CX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Windsor Twnship, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's mismanagement of the fuel which led to fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1998 · about 5:38 pm local time
- Place
- Windsor Twnship, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T337G · all T337Gs on the register
- Registration
- N8CX · registry record · serial P3370079
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was north of Lancaster at an altitude of 8,500 feet, when he requested an IFR clearance to descend below the cloud cover. Once the clearance was received for the descent, he extended the landing gear. While descending through 4,000 feet, the front engine lost power, and within 30 seconds, the rear engine lost power. He recalled that he saw 100 pounds of fuel indicating on both fuel gauges. He stated that he did not raise the landing gear, and because neither of his engines had unfeathering devices, he did not feather either engine. The pilot stated that the controller vectored him to an airport 6 miles away, but when he realized that he was unable to reach it, he executed a forced landing into a cornfield. He further stated that about 10 feet above the field, the right wing dropped, and the airplane impacted the ground in a right wing down, nose down attitude. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions. The Inspector reported that approximately 2 gallons of fuel were drained from the wreckage. The Pilot's Operating Handbook recovered from the airplane indicated that the total fuel tank capacity was 125 gallons, which included 2 unusable gallons.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 943 hours in all; 191 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 868 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,126 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1998; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,700 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWM Portland ME at 2:55 pm
- Destination: LNS Lancaster PA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:47 pm from BGR, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N8CX the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number IAD98LA091.