Cessna 414 accident near Defiance, Ohio, March 19, 1994
On March 19, 1994 at about 6:55 pm local time, a Cessna 414, registered N1576T, was destroyed in an accident near Defiance, Ohio (Defiance Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate inflight decision and planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and the total 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
- March 19, 1994 · about 6:55 pm local time
- Place
- Defiance, Ohio · Defiance Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414 · all 414s on the register
- Registration
- N1576T · no longer on the register · serial 4140356
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT THE AIRPLANE WAS SEEN ON FINAL APPROACH FLYING IN AN ERRATIC MANNER AT A LOW ALTITUDE. TWO WITNESSES RIDING IN A CAR WROTE THEY SAW THE AIRPLANE, 'GOING UP AND DOWN TOWARD THE GROUND. WE COULD HEAR A FAINT CLICKING NOISE, AND THE PROPELLERS WERE GOING AROUND SLOWLY.' THE WITNESSES SAW THE AIRPLANE TAKE 'A SHORT NOSEDIVE AND CRASHED.' THEY WROTE THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT TRAVELING 'VERY FAST AND IT WS PRETTY LEVEL TO THE GROUND.' THE WITNESSES COULD NOT HEAR THE ENGINES BECAUSE THEY WERE IN A CAR. ACCORDING TO FUEL RECORDS, THE PILOT OF N1576T PUT 112 GALLONS OF FUEL ON BOARD THE AIRPLANE ON MARCH 17, 1994, AND THE FLIGHT STARTED AT 1030 ON MARCH 19, 1994. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AT 1355, FOR A TOTAL FLIGHT TIME OF 3 HOURS AND 25 MINUTES. USING FUEL CONSUMPTION DATA FOR THIS AIRCRAFT IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT FUEL EXHAUSTION WOULD OCCUR AFTER 3 HOURS AND 4 MINUTES OF FLIGHT.
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
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,094 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 13, 1993; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,350 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520J (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LNC Lancaster PA at 3:30 pm
- Destination: DFE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 4,200 ft by 72 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
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.