Cessna 421B Golden Eagle II

Inversiones 421-0244

Private American

On March 11, 2021, about 1953 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 421B, N80056, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at the Macon County Airport (1A5), Franklin, North Carolina. The pilot and two passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, this was a planned local flight. The pilot stated that it was a normal start, taxi, and run-up before takeoff. He initiated the takeoff roll and called out speeds in 10 knot (kts) increments looking for a rotation speed of 100 kts. He said the airspeed reached 90 kts and the aircraft acceleration “lagged” while only reaching a maximum airspeed of around 92 kts. He noticed that the runway length was decreasing and elected to abort the takeoff with the remaining runway. He pulled both throttles to idle and initiated maximum braking. Examination of the runway by a Federal Aviation Administrator inspector, revealed tire skid marks beginning around 1,200 ft from the runway end and continued off into the grass. The airplane continued down a slope, and through a fence before coming to rest. All of the occupants exited the airplane safely and a post-crash fire ensued. The airplane sustained fire and structural damage to the fuselage.

850 Atlantic Collision

On January 10, 2021, about 1302 eastern standard time, a Cessna 412B, N421DP, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Old Bethpage, New York. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to an inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot took off on runway 32 from Republic Airport (FRG), Farmingdale, New York about 1254 on a local flight. Shortly after departure, the pilot reported that he had a loss of power on both engines and was returning to FRG to land on runway 14. The airplane impacted a solid waste disposal facility, about 2.3 nm northwest of FRG. The pilot was met by first responders and taken to a local hospital for treatment. There was no postaccident fire. Inspectors with the FAA responded to the accident site about one hour after the accident and examined the wreckage. Substantial damage was evident to the fuselage, both wings, and empennage.

Classic Solutions Company

The pilot departed on a short cross-country flight in the twin-engine airplane. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) were present at the time. While en route at an altitude of 3,000 ft mean sea level, the pilot reported that the airplane was "picking up icing" and that he needed to "pick up speed." The controller then cleared the pilot to descend, then to climb, in order to exit the icing conditions; shortly thereafter, the controller issued a low altitude alert. The pilot indicated that he was climbing; radar and radio contact with the airplane were lost shortly thereafter. The airplane impacted a field about 7 miles short of the destination airport. Examination of the airplane was limited due to the fragmentation of the wreckage; however, no pre-impact anomalies were noted during the airframe and engine examinations. Extensive damage to the pitot static and deicing systems precluded functional testing of the two systems. A review of data recorded from onboard avionics units indicated that, about the time the pilot reported to the controller that the airplane was accumulating ice, the airplane's indicated airspeed had begun to diverge from its ground speed as calculated by position data. However, several minutes later, the indicated airspeed was zero while the ground speed remained fairly constant. It is likely that this airspeed indication was the result of icing of the airplane's pitot probe. During the final 2 minutes of flight, the airplane was in a left turn and the pilot received several "SINK RATE" and "PULL UP PULL UP" annunciations as the airplane conducted a series of climbs and descents during which its ground speed (and likely, airspeed) reached and/or exceeded the airplane's maneuvering and maximum structural cruising speeds. It is likely that the pilot became distracted by the erroneous airspeed indication due to icing of the pitot probe and subsequently lost control while maneuvering.

Hat Investments

On 5th June, 2018 at approximately 3:45pm local, (Eastern Daylight Time) , a Cessna 421B aircraft crashed in dense bushes shortly after departure from Runway 27 at Rocksound Int’l Airport, Rock Sound, Eleuthera, Bahamas. The crash site was located approximately 2,503 feet / .41 nautical mile (nm) north of the threshold of Runway 09 and 8,588 feet / 1.42 nm from threshold of runway 27. The pilot and 2 passengers were killed and the aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire. The aircraft made initial contact with trees before making contact with the ground and other trees in dense bushes. The aircraft descended right wing first, in an approximately 40 degree nose-down angle. A crater approximately 12 inches deep and 10 feet long by 5 feet wide was created when the aircraft hit the ground, subsequently crossing a dirt road, before coming to rest partially in an upward incline in trees. The nose of the aircraft came to rest on a heading of 355° degrees. The fuselage of the aircraft was located at Latitudes 24° 53’ 50”N and Longitude 076° 11’33”W. A fire ensued after the crash.

Valnetis Air

The twin engine airplane departed Príbram Airport Runway 06 at 0705LT on a charter flight to Gdansk, carrying one passenger and one pilot. About 30 minutes into the flight, while cruising at an altitude of 14,100 feet, the pilot was cleared to climb to FL180 when he declared an emergency and reported the failure of both engines. The aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a wooded area located 1,5 km northeast of Noviny pod Ralskem, bursting into flames. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and both occupants were killed.

Michael W. Rogers

The 69-year-old commercial pilot was making a personal cross-country flight in the newly purchased airplane. When the airplane was on final approach to the destination airport in night visual meteorological conditions, airport surveillance video showed it pitch up and roll to the right. The airplane then descended in a nose-down attitude to impact in a ravine on the right side of the runway. During the descent over the ravine the right wing came in contact with a powerline that briefly cut power to the airport. Postaccident examination of the airframe, engines, and their components revealed no evidence of mechanical anomalies or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot's toxicology findings identified five different impairing medications: clonazepam, temazepam, hydrocodone, nortriptyline, and diphenhydramine. Although the results were from cavity blood and may not accurately reflect antemortem levels, the hydrocodone, temazepam, and diphenhydramine levels were high enough to likely have had some psychoactive effects. While the exact effects of these drugs in combination are not known, it is likely that the pilot was impaired to some degree by his use of this combination of medications, which likely contributed to his failure to maintain control of the airplane.

Russell N. Smith

The private pilot of the twin-engine airplane departed on the personal flight. During the takeoff roll, all indications were normal. When the airplane accelerated to between 75 and 80 knots, the pilot pulled back on the yoke slowly, and the airplane began to climb. After he raised the landing gear, the pilot noticed that the airplane was not continuing to climb and that the airspeed was 80 knots; he then heard the stall warning horn. The airplane impacted trees about 1/4 mile from the runway, caught fire, and was destroyed; the pilot egressed with minor injuries. The airplane's published minimum control speed was 86 knots and the break ground and climb speed was 106 knots. Given that information, it is likely that the pilot's attempt to rotate and climb the airplane below 80 knots resulted in the airplane being unable to gain altitude and climb above trees at the end of the runway.

Private Dominican

While flying by night, the twin engine airplane crashed under unknown circumstances in the lake of Maracaibo and came to rest few dozen metres off Sabaneta de Palmas. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Aero One

The twin-engine airplane, flown by a commercial pilot, was departing on a business flight from runway 31 when the right engine lost power. According to a pilot-rated witness, the airplane was about halfway down the 6,500 ft runway at an altitude of about 100 ft above ground level when he heard a "loud pop" and then saw the airplane's right propeller slow. The witness reported that the airplane yawed to the right and then began a right turn toward runway 18 with the right engine's propeller windmilling. The witness further reported that the airplane cleared a tree line by about 150 ft, rolled right, descended straight down to ground impact, and burst into flames. Postaccident examination of the airplane's right engine revealed that the crankshaft was fractured adjacent to the No. 2 main bearing, which had rotated. The crankcase halves adjacent to the No. 2 main bearing were fretted where the case through-studs were located. The fretting of the mating surfaces was consistent with insufficient clamping force due to insufficient torque of the through-stud nuts. Records indicated that all six cylinders on the right engine had been replaced at the airplane's most recent annual inspection 8 months before the accident. In order to replace the cylinders, the through-stud nuts had to be removed as they also served to hold down the cylinders. It is likely that when the cylinders were replaced, the through-stud nuts were not properly torqued, which, over time, allowed the case halves to move and led to the bearing spinning and the crankshaft fracturing. During the accident sequence, the pilot made a right turn in an attempt to return to the airport and did not feather the failed (right) engine's propeller, allowing it to windmill, thereby creating excessive drag. It is likely that the pilot allowed the airspeed to decay below the minimum required for the airplane to remain controllable, which combined with his failure to feather the failed engine's propeller and the turn in the direction of the failed engine resulted in a loss of airplane control.