Cessna 402C incident near Arecibo, Puerto Rico, August 5, 2003
On August 5, 2003 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Cessna 402C, registered N371R, was involved in an incident near Arecibo, Puerto Rico (Arecibo Airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate in-flight decision, and his failure to refuel, which led to fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 2003 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Arecibo, Puerto Rico · Arecibo Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402C · all 402Cs on the register
- Registration
- N371R · no longer on the register · serial 0028
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that while at an altitude of 9,500 feet, in the vicinity of Grand Turk, he noticed the airplane's fuel gauges fluctuating over a 60 gallon range. He said he continued the flight with confidence in his flight planning, and about 40 nautical miles from Isla Grande Airport the right engine sputtered. The pilot said he turned the fuel pumps on, checked the fuel pressure, and noted zero on the fuel quantity indicator, so he selected fuel from the left tank. He said he was also reading a low pressure for the left engine. After climbing to 11,500 feet, about 35 miles from Isla Grande Airport the left engine ceased operating. The right engine then ceased operating a short time after, and the pilot said he feathered both propellers, declared an emergency, and diverted to the Arecibo Airport. He then switched the fuel selector from left tank to right tank, and was able to restart the right engine, and fly toward the shore, and then the right engine ceased operating. About two nautical miles north of the Arecibo Airport, at 6,000 feet and descending, the pilot said he got the left engine operating again. He said he then extended the landing gear, entered a right crosswind, extended full flaps on a right downwind, and landed on runway 08. After off-loading his passengers, the pilot said he was debriefed by an FAA inspector, who issued him a ferry permit to operate the airplane. The pilot then purchased fuel and ferried the airplane to Borinquen Airport where he "topped the tanks" with additional fuel.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 350 in the last 90 days; 115 in the last 30 days; 3,400 as pilot in command; 700 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 8, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,303.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 4, 2003; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,210 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Teledyne Continental TSIO-520 VB (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Teledyne Continental TSIO-520 VB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLL Fort Lauderdale FL at 9:30 am
- Destination: STT St. Thomas
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from SJU, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.