Cessna Citation 510 accident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, December 19, 2007
On December 19, 2007 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna Citation 510, registered N13616, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Alleghney County Airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 flight crew's inadequate preflight, which failed to detect the blockage of the left wing's fuel vent port.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 19, 2007 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Alleghney County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna Citation 510
- Registration
- N13616 · no longer on the register · serial 510-0049
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The following information was provided to the Federal Aviation Administration by the Cessna Aircraft Company. The flight crew accepted the newly purchased airplane at the Independence Municipal Airport, Independence, Kansas, which departed on a ferry flight to Croatia. During cruise, a low fuel pressure annunciation was observed. A visual inspection with the airplane's wing inspection lights was conducted; the airplane's left wing upper skin was compressed aft of the center spar and forward of the aft spar. The flight was diverted to Allegheny County Airport, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and landed without an incident. Upon a ground inspection of the left wing, the left wing's fuel vent had been covered with a temporary vinyl applique used to cover the permanently painted Croatian registration numbers during the ferrying of the aircraft. The vinyl was to remain on the wings until the aircraft reached its destination where the Croatian registration would be revealed. The airplane's preflight checklist, exterior inspection, step 6, right wing, item "h" and step 11, left wing, item "C", both state "Fuel Tank Vent ---------Clear".
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
Other crew
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,230 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
No details recorded.
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615F (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KIDP Independence KS
- Destination: Zagreb
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
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.