Cessna 421 N421S
17 June 1989 · Picacho, Arizona, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 17 June 1989 at about 22:00 local time, a Cessna 421 registered N421S, operated by William E. Hamilton, was involved in an accident near Picacho, Arizona, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 22:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Picacho, Arizona, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421
- Registration
- N421S
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- William E. Hamilton
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Sedona
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX89LA217
People
4 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Probable cause
FAILURE OF THE NUMBER THREE EXHAUST VALVE ON THE LEFT ENGINE. A MAJOR FACTOR WAS THE HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE WHERE THE AIRPLANE WOULD NOT OPERATE ON SINGLE ENGINE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE LEFT ENGINE LOST POWER JUST AFTER TAKEOFF. WITH THE GEAR AND FLAPS RETRACTED AND THE LEFT PROPELLER FEATHERED, THE AIRPLANE WOULD CLIMB SLIGHTLY. AS IT PASSED OVER GREEN FIELDS, THE AIRPLANE STARTED A DESCENT. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN IN A COTTON FIELD AND THE LEFT TIP TANK BURST INTO FLAMES AS IT TOUCHED THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE. ENGINE TEARDOWN REVEALED THE NUMBER THREE EXHAUST VALVE FAILED. ELEVATION OF THE ACCIDENT WAS 1,600 FEET MST, OAT WAS 114 DEGREES F. DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS APPROXIMATELY 5,600 FEET.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 421 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Aug 1989 | Cessna 421C | Waterville, Maine, United States | Daniel C.hostetter | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 1989 | Cessna 421 | Okmulgee, Oklahoma, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Apr 1989 | Cessna 421C | New York, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 Nov 1989 | Cessna 421B | Chesapeake, Virginia, United States | Mid Eastern Airways, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Mar 1989 | Cessna 421 | Brownsville, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 Jul 1989 | Cessna 421B | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sep 1989 | Cessna 180 | Flagstaff, Arizona, United States | George Thomas | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 1989 | Cessna 152 | Chandler, Arizona, United States | Button Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 1989 | Robinson R22 | Scottsdale, Arizona, United States | Arizona Wing and Rotor | No injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 1989 | Roger Nelson AERONICA/T | Sierra Vista, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1989 | Hiller UH-12E | Yuma, Arizona, United States | West Farm Air Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Oct 1989 | Rand Engineering KR-II | Eloy, Arizona, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |