Pennsylvania man told he can have an abandoned Cessna 401A for free on the condition he can fix it and it's far from simple
Published on Jan 05, 2026 at 2:33 AM (UTC+4)
by Jack Marsh
Last updated on Jan 06, 2026 at 12:52 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alex Maxam
To quote Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson, the best things in life are free – but it’s not every day that a Cessna 401A airplane lands on someone’s door with no fee attached.
That was the case for this man, though.
Experienced mechanic Jason Morrison of Rebuild Rescue was offered a free jet on one condition…
He had to fix it himself.
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Plane restorer gets the ultimate challenge: fix this Cessna and keep it for free
It’s no secret that airplane maintenance is not a cheap affair, even when everything is working well.
But restoring one can make planes a very costly hobby.
Still, if one turns up for free, it’s worth a shot, right?
YouTuber Jason Morrison from Rebuild Rescue was given this opportunity. If he could get this Cessna 401A airborne, it was his.
However, this was no easy fix.
He instantly found that it was much more complex than anything he’d done on his channel before.
The exterior was corroded and rusty in places, with a broken window that had let water through.
“Look at the pile of bird c**p,” he said.
“My guess is it’s been here for 16, 17 years and not running. It’s one thing to get an airplane that’s been a hangar Queen, it’s much easier than getting one that’s been a chicken Coupe for the last 16 years.”
A paint job and a soaked interior were only the start of his issues, though.
The woes piled up as he uncovered face-value problems with the mechanics. Frozen controls, a rusted engine, a failing turbocharger, and a fuel leak were found on just the first day.
The size of the task quickly dawned on him, too, having predominantly been a car mechanic before.
While much of the knowledge of how to handle the engine can be transferred from under the hood of a vehicle, when it comes to the extended plane, it’s a different monster.
“It’s probably going to be the toughest task I’ve had yet because it’s an airplane,” he continued.
“There’s one thing I don’t do: I don’t quit. We’re going to get this thing to run. This thing’s going to run one way or the other.”
Could he fix it?
Well, three years later, the Cessna 401A is still unfinished.
The page has 80 entries in its rebuild-dedicated playlist, where Morrison has tackled the plane with various mechanics and uncovered hundreds of different issues.
He’s also poured thousands of dollars into housing it in a hangar while juggling other aviation restorations.
The last entrance in the playlist, as of two weeks ago, says Rebuild Rescue will be temporarily shut down as X hands the plane off to another friendly mechanic whom they’ll liaise with as they start over.
The new rebuild expert plans to completely rewrite the logs and run over each component with a fine toothcomb to ensure that they can oversee the harmony inside.
In the meantime, the Cessa 410A will be leaving YouTube’s limelight.
You can see the first episode below…
Still, there are plenty of places to get your fix of Cessna content, with a group of young Americans hoping to make their aviation debut in a 1,800-mile trip to Phoenix.
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Jack Marsh is a journalist who started his media career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from the University of Chester. As an avid supercar and racing enthusiast, he has a passion for everything from Formula 1 to NASCAR. Whether it's highlighting the intricacies of McLaren’s anti-dive suspension revelations or recognizing celebrities’ multi-million-dollar rides, he has a keen eye for the faster things in life.
