- Date
- September 2, 1983, 07:45 local (12:45 UTC)
- Place
- Port Lavaca, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N87546Cessna 421C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830902046369A
- Case key
- 21040
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft collided with a fence and bushes during takeoff. The rwy was shell and turf construction 2300 ft long. The plt figured the takeoff distance from a chart using dry hard surfaced level rwy. The acceleration seemed slow according to a witness and the acft left tire tracks up to a point about 10 ft from the departure end. After colliding with the fenceand tops of bushes and trees the acft settled into the undergrowth and slid to a stop. The acft weighed 6718 pounds.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N87546
- Reported as
- Cessna 421C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 421C0010
- Airframe hours
- 2,421
- Engine
- Continental GTSIO-520-L, 375 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James C. Freeman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · July 25, 1983
- Destination
- T97 · Port Lavaca, TX
- Airport
- 9R4 · Tanner, runway 27, 2,300 × 105 ft, grass/turf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,340 total · 126 in this make and model · 3,000 as pilot in command · 11 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.