Cape Air 402 dead stick landing at APF

Teller1900

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A Cape Air plane made an emergency landing in Naples, Fla., last night after it lost both engines, according to a Federal Aviation Administration official.

Flight 9399 was en route from Key West to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers when it reported the loss of its engines and was diverted to Naples Municipal Airport on Florida’s west coast, said FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.
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More here. And here.
 
No mention of a flight plan....:rolleyes:

I know, I'll get flamed for speculation, but what would cause a 402 to lose both engines other than fuel exhaustion?
 
From the second link:
"The pilot of Continental Flight 9399 actually requested to make his emergency landing at Southwest Florida International, but air traffic controllers told him to land in Naples instead."

Is this more sensationalism or can an ATC in Class C airspace reroute an aircraft with a declared emergency to an airport other than the one of the PIC choosing?
 
tapioca said:
From the second link:
"The pilot of Continental Flight 9399 actually requested to make his emergency landing at Southwest Florida International, but air traffic controllers told him to land in Naples instead."

Is this more sensationalism or can an ATC in Class C airspace reroute an aircraft with a declared emergency to an airport other than the one of the PIC choosing?
Click to expand...

Good question, I wondered about that too. Which airport was closer?? If I'm in a Cessna Glider, I'd want to go to whatever is closest, ATC be damned.

In my brief, one week flying experience in South Florida, I found ATC to be just dreadful. Dreadful. Vectored through final more times than I can count. Once they cleared me for the approach in a Matrix with a Seminole on the same approach only 2 miles ahead and maybe 1000ft below. Their advice? Don't run into him.

I wonder if ATC was just being stupid. Before I flew down there I'd never have believed it, but now I can.
 
flyersfan31 said:
I know, I'll get flamed for speculation, but what would cause a 402 to lose both engines other than fuel exhaustion?
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Fuel contamination?

tapioca said:
From the second link:
"The pilot of Continental Flight 9399 actually requested to make his emergency landing at Southwest Florida International, but air traffic controllers told him to land in Naples instead." Is this more sensationalism or can an ATC in Class C airspace reroute an aircraft with a declared emergency to an airport other than the one of the PIC choosing?
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Hard to say without more data. ATC may have "suggested" rather than "told"; the aircraft may have been half-way between and ATC had operational reasons to prefer the emergency land at Naples; or the aircraft may have been closer to Naples in the first place. I think even the rawest ATC trainee understands they have little to no control over an aircraft with no engines. Doesn't look like there's a LiveATC feed in the area so we'll have to wait for a transcript.
 
tapioca said:
Is this more sensationalism or can an ATC in Class C airspace reroute an aircraft with a declared emergency to an airport other than the one of the PIC choosing?
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No. ATC can't reroute because ATC isn't flying the airplane.

Sure, there may be a cost for ignoring/contradicting -- but, how hard a call is that?
 
tapioca said:
Is this more sensationalism or can an ATC in Class C airspace reroute an aircraft with a declared emergency to an airport other than the one of the PIC choosing?
Click to expand...
No, and I also would not expect any consequences for ignoring ATC. In an emergency, talking to ATC is not my first priority, and it's only going to be on my list of things to do if I want something from them. I don't about their needs at that point.

Maybe fuel contamination? Does the 402 have that horribly complicated fuel system of a 340?

-Felix
 
bbchien said:
Naples was closer than Ft. Myers!
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Seems likely. The FlightAware track shows the aircraft heading northbound - without turning - for essentially the whole flight, including the descent down to the last observation at 2400'. That implies the aircraft was south of Naples when the fires went out. Cruise altitude was 6,000. Wasn't going to glide far.
 
the 402 will have the standard cessna fuel system. This could've been a C model with wet wings instead of main/aux tanks.
 
flyersfan31 said:
No mention of a flight plan....:rolleyes:

I know, I'll get flamed for speculation, but what would cause a 402 to lose both engines other than fuel exhaustion?
Click to expand...

Jet A filled into the outboards of a Chieftain and then swapping tanks.:rolleyes: (BTDT)
 
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