# Accident 19970320003319A: Cessna 421, Houston, TX, March 20, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 20, 1997, 23:33 local time
- Place: Houston, TX
- Airport: Houston Gulf Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.4807° N, 95.1004° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.4807&lon=-95.1004&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4050L, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4050L-2012-11-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 421 (registry code 2076010, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-421) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental TSIO-520 series (registry code 17040, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 421
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97FA130](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97FA130) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970320003319A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

LOST RIGHT ENGINE POWER ON DESCENT. PILOT REPORTED OUT OF FUEL, CRASHED INTO WATER. (-23) ON MARCH 19, 1997, AT 2333 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A CESSNA 421, N4050L, IMPACTED WATER AND SANK DURING A FORCED LANDING FOLLOWING A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER NEAR LEAGUE CITY, TEXAS. THE PRIVATE PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRPLANE, RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY MTK JET OF WASHINGTON, DELAWARE, UNDER TITLE 14 CFR PART 91. ACCORDING TO AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL PERSONNEL, THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED MONTGOMERY FIELD IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA AT 1402 PACIFIC STANDARD TIME, WITH A DESTINATION OF GALVESTON, TEXAS. AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE FLIGHT, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS RECEIVING VECTORS FROM HOUSTON APPROACH CONTROL FOR AN ILS APPROACH TO SCHOLES FIELD IN GALVESTON WHEN THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. NIGHT VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. UNTIL MARCH 29, 1997, THE AIRPLANE REMAINED WHERE IT CAME TO REST, SUBMERGED IN 25 FEET OF WATER IN A SAND PIT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. WHEN THE PILOT FILED HIS IFR FLIGHT PLAN, HE INDICATED THAT THE ESTIMATED TIME ENROUTE FOR                                                                   THE NON-STOP FLIGHT FROM SAN DIEGO TO GALVESTON WAS 05 HOURS AND 21 MINUTES, AND THE AIRPLANE CARRIED ENOUGH FUEL TO FLY FOR 07 HOURS AND 30 MINUTES. THE ELAPSED TIME FROM TAKEOFF IN SAN DIEGO TO THE LOSS OF RADAR CONTACT BY HOUSTON APPROACH WAS 07 HOURS AND 31 MINUTES.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97FA130](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97FA130), Mar 20, 1997: Cessna 421 (N4050L), League City, TX, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to refuel the airplane which resulted in the loss of power to the right engine due to fuel exhaustion, and the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the single engine…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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