Cessna 402B accident near Little Rock, Arkansas, October 29, 1989
On October 29, 1989 at about 8:00 am local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N6382X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Little Rock, Arkansas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A LEAK IN THE AIRCRAFT'S FUEL SYSTEM WHICH RESULTED IN AN IN-FLIGHT FIRE. THE ORIGIN OF THE FUEL LEAK WAS NOT DETERMINED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 1989 · about 8:00 am local time
- Place
- Little Rock, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N6382X · registry record · serial 1345
- 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
THE PASSENGER SITTING IN THE COPILOT'S SEAT STATED THAT SHE SAW FIRE COMING FROM THE RIGHT WING AND ENGINE AREA. SHE STATED THAT SHE COULD SEE A BRIGHT 'GLOW' BENEATH THE SKIN OF THE WING. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING ON A FREEWAY AND THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A LIGHT POLE ON THE HIGHWAY MEDIAN. HEAVY FIRE DAMAGE WAS FOUND IN THE AFT PORTION OF THE RIGHT ENGINE NACELLE & RIGHT FLAP ASSEMBLY. IN ADDITION, HEAVY FIRE AND SOOT WERE EVIDENT IN THE INTERIOR OF THE RIGHT WING ASSEMBLY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 8, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LIT Little Rock AR at 7:57 am
- Destination: ASG Springdale AR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:16 am from LIT, 258 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.