Cessna 402C accident near Boston, Massachusetts, July 8, 2001
On July 8, 2001 at about 4:14 pm local time, a Cessna 402C, registered N760EA, was destroyed in an accident near Boston, Massachusetts (Logan International Airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to waive the wake turbulence hold time, and his subsequent loss of control when wake vortex turbulence was encountered.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 2001 · about 4:14 pm local time
- Place
- Boston, Massachusetts · Logan International Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402C · all 402Cs on the register
- Registration
- N760EA · no longer on the register · serial 402C-0056
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot accepted an intersection departure and waived the wake turbulence holding time. A Boeing 737-300 departed ahead of him, and according to pilot, the Boeing's nosewheel lifted off the runway just as it passed him. The pilot also noted that the Boeing and its exhaust smoke drifted to the left of the runway's centerline. A wake turbulence advisory and takeoff clearance were issued by the tower controller and acknowledged by the pilot. The pilot initiated the takeoff, and after liftoff, the left wing dropped. It contacted the runway, and the airplane rolled inverted. The airplane then slid off the left side of the runway and a post-crash fire developed.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,539 hours in all; 476 in this make and model; 303 in the last 90 days; 109 in the last 30 days; 2,463 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 23, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,140 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 30, 2001; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,210 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-VB (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BOS Boston MA at 4:15 pm
- Destination: ACK Nantucket MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22R, 7,860 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; a few clouds at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 4:25 pm from BOS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.