- Date
- March 28, 1989, 18:34 local (Mar 29, 1989, 00:34 UTC)
- Place
- Brownsville, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N4595LCessna 421
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890329004829A
- Case key
- 22764
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's improper emergency procedure after lossing power in the right engine, and his failure to maintain minimum control speed (VMC), which resulted in a loss of aircraft control. Factors related to the accident were: fuel starvation of the right engine, the pilot's lack of experience in this type of aircraft, and his lack of understanding of the fuel system.
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 newly hired corporate pilot starved the right engine of fuel on the multi-engine airplane while on a local area self checkout in the airplane. He did not feather the right propeller. At the time of the non-mechanical loss of power, the airplane was in low level (600 feet AGL) cruise. The pilot lowered the flaps to 45 degrees and extended the landing gear to the down and locked position. The airplane's airspeed decreased below VMC and the airplane stalled, went out of control, and impacted open ranch land nose low, in a vertical descent angle. A post-impact fire occurred. The pilot lacked knowledge of the airplane systems and lacked experience in the Cessna 421.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4595L
- Reported as
- Cessna 421
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 0195
- Engine
- Continental GTSIO-520, 375 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Camel Leasing Co.
- Departed
- BRO · Brownsville, TX
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
- 28
- Certificates
- Foreign, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Unknown
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,215 total · 1 in this make and model · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BRO, 3 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.