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Atlas / NTSB / ANC83IA053

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ANC83IA053

1983-03-05 BETHEL, Alaska, United States Airport · BET None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N7864F

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA 401

Year of manufacture

1968 · 15 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR TSIO-520-E (300 hp)

Seats / Engines

8 seats · 2 engines

Last airworthiness date

20080905

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S AAA9BA

Registrant of record

KELLER RUSSELL L

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE ACFT RIGHT ENGINE STARTED EMITTING SPARKS FROM THE COWLING DURING NORMAL CRUISE. THE PILOT NOTED A DROP IN MANIFOLD PRESSURE SO HE REDUCED POWER ON THAT ENGINE AND THE SPARKS STOPPED. THE ACFT WAS LANDED AT BETHEL. THE FIRE DEPT. USED A FIRE EXTINGUISHING AGENT ON THE ENGINE. THE DAMAGE WAS MINOR. INSPECTION OF THE RIGHT ENGINE REVEALED A BROKEN BOLT ONTHE EXHAUST CLAMP WHICH SECURED THE EXHAUST PIPE TO THE TURBOCHARGER. THE CLAMP WHICH SECURED THE PIPE TO THE ENGINE NACELLE HAD SLIPPED OFF THE BRACKET. THIS ALLOWED THE PIPE TO SLIP DOWN AND RELEASE HOT EXHAUST GASES INTO THE ENGINE NACELLE. THIS HEATED THE ENGINE EXCESSIVELY AND REMOVED THE WASTE GATE FROM THE OPERATIONAL SYSTEM OF THE ENGINE. THE BROKEN BOLT IS A PART OF THE CLAMP P/N MVT 68637-375M. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1983_ANC83IA053.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.