Cessna 421C N40JK

Summary

On 13 January 1992 at about 21:06 local time, a Cessna 421C registered N40JK, operated by Williamson, J. M., was involved in an accident near Atlantic Ocean. 5 people were on board and 5 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

13 January 1992 at 21:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Atlantic Ocean

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 421C

Registration

N40JK

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Williamson, J. M.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Milville → Sebastian

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL92FA039

5 people died.

THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE WEATHER EVALUATION, AND HIS CONTINUED FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS. FACTORS WERE: THE IMPROPER WEATHER BRIEFING BY A FLIGHT SERVICE STATION SPECIALIST, AND LEVEL III THUNDERSTORMS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

AT 0716, THE PILOT RCVD A WX BRIEF FOR A PROPOSED TAKEOFF OF 1130. THE FSS BRIEFER PROVIDED INFO ON TSTMS FORECAST IN GA & FL. NO INFO WAS PROVIDED ABOUT FORECAST LINES & CLUSTERS OF TSTMS IN SC CSTL PLAINS & SERN GA. EN ROUTE, THE PILOT WAS GIVEN INFO ABOUT LEVEL III TSTMS ACROSS THE PROJECTED FLIGHT PATH BY BEAUFORT & SAVANNAH APPCH CNTRL. ATC RADAR DATA REVEALED THAT THE ACFT FLEW THE ROUTE CONTAINED IN THE FLIGHT PLAN CLEARANCE. RADIO TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE ACFT INDICATED THAT ONBOARD WX RADAR WAS BEING USED. ATC RADAR DATA & RADIO COMMUNICATIONS INDICATED THAT THE ACFT ENTERED A TSTM, THEN MADE A 180 DEGREE TURN TO EXIT THE STORM. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED PLASTIC DEFORMATION OF THE WINGS INBOARD OF THE ENGINES IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION. ALSO, BOTH WINGS BROKE OFF OUTBOARD OF THE ENGINES IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION. THE HORIZONTAL STAB & ELEVATOR WERE NOT RECOVERED. THERE WAS FUSELAGE DAMAGE WHICH INDICATED THAT THE HORIZONTAL STAB SEPARATED AFT & DOWN.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.