- Date
- July 18, 1990, 09:33 local (16:33 UTC)
- Place
- Lancaster, CA
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N6089XCessna 421C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 23, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900718030589A
- Case key
- 26870
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 accident was eroded ignition spark plug electrodes and maintenance personnel neglecting to adjust spark plug electrodes and maintenance personnel neglecting to adjust spark plug gap. The rough terrain in which the aircraft landed was a factor in the accident.
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
Eroded ignition spark plug electrodes and maintenance personnel neglecting to adjust spark plug electrodes and maintenance personnel neglecting to adjust spark plug gap. The rough terrain in which the aircraft landed was a factor in the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6089X
- Reported as
- Cessna 421C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 421C0887
- Engine
- Continental GTSI-O-520-L, 375 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Pacifica Corporation
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- WJF
- Destination
- APV · Apple Valley, CA
- Airport
- WJF · Gen. William J Fox, runway 24, 5,001 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 67
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 59,000 total · 402 in this make and model · 42,000 as pilot in command · 270 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- WJF, 1 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.