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A UTILILINER FOR
CONSERVATION
The State of Missouri’s Department of Con- servation operates a 1985 Cessna 402C as a versatile utility load-hauler, carrying such di- verse cargo as otters, pallid sturgeons, wild turkeys, fish fry, equipment and personnel around the state and elsewhere. Purchased in 1993, the airplane has given them very little trouble, according to Mike Beul, lead aircraft mechanic for the Department. The Department had previously operated a 402B, so it was well acquainted with Cessna utility twins.
Service-wise, the exhaust system requires con- tinual attention, as with all turbocharged Cess- nas. Because of the aircraft’s capability, loading has to be monitored to maintain the proper C.G. The only complaint from the users is the output of the old R12-charged air-conditioning system in the right engine nacelle. MDC’s 402C flies about 300 hours per year and as we went to press it had about 8,600 hours total time. In Beul’s words, “It’s been a great all-around mis- sion airplane, with good cabin size.”
For personnel transport, the MDC airplane is outfitted with five passenger seats in the cab- in. Cargo is easily loaded through the swing-out auxiliary door aft of the airstair. The airplane is outfitted with the forward crew door, which permits the cabin to be cubed-out with cargo while the pilot enters over the wing.
Eventually, a replacement for Conservation’s 402C will have to be found, but it will be very difficult to find an airplane that will do as much, with as much efficiency.
24 • TWIN & TURBINE / May 2024
air-stair entrance allows loading of bulky items, with bag- gage adjacent to the aft seats. Loading should be accom- plished in front-to-back order.
The 402C’s landing gear is hydraulically actuated, pow- ered by pumps on both engines, rather than electrically- driven like the earlier airplanes. The maingear, carrying 6.50 x 10 tires, stows into open wells, instead of behind the sequencing doors used previously; the nosegear has a 6.00 x 6 tire. A standby blow-down bottle in the nose backs up the hydraulic system.
In a most-welcome departure from the tip-tanked 402, the wet-wing fuel system is a simple on/off/crossfeed system, normally requiring no management, holding 206 usable gallons, but seldom filled unless extreme range is required. About 900 pounds of payload can be carried with full fuel. There is a 6,515-pound zero-fuel weight to be observed, so there’s no reason to depart with less than 30 gallons per side. Maximum landing weight is the same as max takeoff weight.
The electrically-driven flaps are split-type panels, re- tained from the earlier twin Cessnas.
The TSIO-520-VB engines are cowled in slim nacelles with screwdriver accessible drop-down doors and remov- able panels. Cowl flaps are installed. The engines can put out 325 hp for takeoff and single-engine operation; normal rated power is 310 hp. The three-blade McCauley props are housed in polished spinners.
The big tail stretches 12 feet into the air, with a single trim tab on the right elevator, along with trim tabs on the rudder and left aileron. A clever optional rudder gust-lock lever on the left side of the tailcone pins the rudder in neutral. If overlooked during preflight, it will disengage with application of up-elevator.
The early 401 designation for passenger accommoda- tion and 402 for utility hauling was replaced in the 1973