Story ID: 119
Cessna SkyCourier 'Not Impacted' by Explosion
By: Jerry Siebenmark
Caption: The building affected by the liquid nitrogen explosion houses Textron Aviation's composite manufacturing and experimental aircraft fabrication.
Word Count: 393
Textron Aviation’s SkyCourier twin-engine turboprop development program was spared from serious damage after the massive building where it is being assembled in east Wichita was rocked by a liquid nitrogen explosion on December 27. The blast could be felt and heard from several miles away. There were no fatalities, but 11 people were transported to area hospitals and another four were treated and released at the scene, authorities said.

A cause of the explosion wasn’t immediately known but there was a 3-inch line carrying liquid nitrogen to the building that ruptured and “caused a rupture to another vessel and that is the one that is currently venting now,” Sedgwick County deputy fire chief Daniel Wegner said. He noted the plant was on holiday shutdown so a “skeleton crew” was working at the time of the explosion. “But I don’t have numbers of how many people were in the plant at this time.”

Textron Aviation spokeswoman Stephanie Harder said the building houses the airframer’s composite manufacturing and experimental aircraft fabrication, including the SkyCourier. The company later confirmed that the SkyCourier program appeared to be unharmed by the explosion. “While the building damage assessment continues, the location of the company’s Cessna SkyCourier development program in Plant 3 appears to have not been impacted,” Textron said in a statement to AIN.

Earlier in December, the program marked a milestone with the mating of the prototype’s fuselage and its high wing. The SkyCourier’s flight test program includes five other flight and ground test articles. Current testing involves the SkyCourier’s landing gear and avionics, and first flight is expected sometime this year.

FedEx is the launch customer for the SkyCourier, with 50 firm orders for the airplane and options for 50 more. Configurable for both cargo and commuter operations, it is designed to carry a payload of up to 6,000 pounds with an 87-inch cargo door, a flat floor, and a nearly 70-inch-tall and -wide cabin to accept three standard LD3 air cargo containers. 

In a passenger configuration, it will have seating for up to 19 passengers, with a netted rear cabin area for luggage and equipment. Capable of flying 200 ktas, the aircraft is powered by two 1,100-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65SC turboprop engines and two new 110-inch McCauley propellers.
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