# Accident 19981018029479A: Cessna 421C, Eagle Pass, TX, October 18, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 18, 1998, 06:00 local time
- Place: Eagle Pass, TX
- Airport: Maverick County Memorial International Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
- Operator: IBUA
- Location: 28.7008° N, 100.4907° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=28.7008&lon=-100.4907&mi=10
- Aircraft: N19MH, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N19MH-2015-05-18) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 421C (registry code 2076016, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-421c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental GTSIO-520 series (registry code 17046, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-gtsio-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 421C
- Reported engine: CONT GTSIO520N
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,095 total, 120 in this make and model, 120 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW99LA012](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW99LA012) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19981018029479A

## Narrative

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

AIR AMBULANCE CRASHED SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES 3 MILES FROM THE ARPT. (.4)DURING TAKEOFF CLIMB, THE TWIN-ENGINE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED A STRONG DOWNDRAFT AND IMPACTED TREES AND TERRAIN.  THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE TAXIING TO THE RUNWAY, HE SCANNED THE SKY WITH THE MONOCHROME WEATHER RADAR, WHICH WAS SET AT THE 40-MILE RANGE.  'NO WEATHER WAS SHOWN BEHIND THE RUNWAY AND A CELL WAS SHOWN 15 MILES FROM THE RUNWAY.'  THE TAKEOFF ROLL WAS 'UNEVENTFUL,' AND THE AIRPLANE WAS ROTATED AT 95 KNOTS.  CLIMB OUT WAS ACCOMPLISHED AT 110 KNOTS, THE ENGINES WERE AT MAXIMUM POWER, THE PROPELLERS AT MAXIMUM RPM, AND THE MANIFOLD PRESSURE WAS INDICATING MAXIMUM.  A 10-DEGREE TURN TOWARDS THE COTULLA VOR WAS BEING MADE WHEN AT 1,500 FEET MSL, A SHARP DESCENT WAS FELT WITH THE VSI INDICATING AN 800 FT/MIN RATE OF DESCENT.  THE WINGS WERE LEVELED AND THE AIRSPEED WAS SLOWED TO 85 KNOTS.  'THE RATE OF DESCENT SLOWED TO 400 FT/MIN AND THEN FINALLY TO 300 FT/MIN UNTIL IMPACT...'  THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY FIRE THAT ERUPTED ON IMPACT.  A REVIEW OF DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR IMAGES SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE VICINITY OF THE AIRP                                                       ORT.

## 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 FTW99LA012](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW99LA012), Oct 18, 1998: Cessna 421C (N19MH), Eagle Pass, TX, destroyed. Probable cause: A downdraft, which exceeded the aircraft's climb performance. A factor was the thunderstorms in the vicinity of the airport.

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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