Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III crash, Aug 27, 2014 (4 killed)
Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III accident on August 27, 2014 near Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States with 4 fatalities. Cause: NTSB: The misfueling of...
- Date: August 27, 2014
- Aircraft: Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III
- Location: Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States
- Fatalities: 4
- Phase of flight: Takeoff and climb
- Cause: NTSB: The misfueling of the airplane with jet fuel instead of aviation gasoline, and the resultant detonation and total loss of engine power during initial climb. Contributing were the line service technician's inadvertent misfueling, the pilot's inadequate supervision of the fuel servicing, and the fixed base operator's use of a small fuel nozzle on its jet fuel truck.
A Cessna 421C air ambulance (N51RX) operated by Amigos Aviation was refueled with jet fuel instead of 100LL aviation gasoline at Las Cruces International Airport. Shortly after takeoff the crew reported smoke from the right engine and the aircraft crashed in a post impact fire, killing the pilot, two medical crew members and one patient. The NTSB found the misfueling, the pilot's inadequate supervision of fueling and the FBO's use of a small nozzle on its jet fuel truck caused the accident.