Cessna 421C N6209V

Summary

On 4 August 1996 at about 23:20 local time, a Cessna 421C registered N6209V, operated by Sarkis Badzhaksizyan, was involved in an accident near Avalon, California, United States. 7 people were on board and 4 were seriously injured, 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 August 1996 at 23:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Avalon, California, United States

Nearest airport

Catalina (AVX)

Coordinates

33.3790, -118.4504

Aircraft

Cessna 421C

Registration

N6209V

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Sarkis Badzhaksizyan

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Santa Monica → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX96LA296

4 people were seriously injured.

the pilot's failure to initiate a go-around when a landing overshoot became apparent. Factors which contributed to the accident were: the pilot's excessive airspeed and misjudged distance during landing, his lack of flying experience in the Cessna, and overconfidence in his personal ability.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the airport's acting tower manager, the airplane's landing approach 'looked good' but was 'a lot faster than most twin-engine airplanes.' The airplane 'appeared to float,' and it did not touchdown until reaching midfield on the 3,240-foot-long runway. A pilot-witness who was standing on the ramp similarly reported that the airplane's approach speed was fast, and also noted that as the airplane passed midfield its nose wheel had not been lowered to the pavement. The pilot report that after touchdown he applied brakes, and although the airplane slowed he was unable to stop before exiting off the runway's departure end. The airplane went down an embankment, collided with rough terrain, and came to rest approximately 120 feet southwest of the runway's end. The pilot previously had landed at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport. According to the FAA, at Santa Monica the airplane touched down about 1,000 feet prior to the end of that 4,987-foot-long runway. Three months earlier, the pilot received a multiengine class rating. At that time, he indicated his total multiengine flying experience was 23 hours of dual instruction.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.