Cessna 421 N421DT
2 September 1987 · Coral Springs, Florida, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 2 September 1987 at about 20:15 local time, a Cessna 421 registered N421DT, operated by Thomas H. Koch, was involved in an accident near Coral Springs, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 20:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Coral Springs, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 26.2702, -80.2602
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421
- Registration
- N421DT
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Thomas H. Koch
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Ft. Lauderdale → New Port Richey
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA87FA239
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE ACFT HAD BEEN ABANDONED IN THE BAHAMAS FOR APRX 7 MONTHS. A PLT, WITH NO KNOWN FLT TIME IN A CESSNA 421, FLEW IT TO FT LAUDERDALE. EXCEPT TO AVOID CLDS, HE MADE THE FLT AT A LOW ALT & AIRSPEED. WHEN ASKED WHY, HE SAID HE WAS TRYING TO SAVE THE ENGS. THE PLT THEN DEPD TWD AN AREA OF DARK CLDS & TSTMS. WHEN HE DID NOT ARRIVE AT THE DESTN, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE ACFT WAS FND 4 DAYS LATER WHERE IT CRASHED IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. RADAR DATA SHOWED THE ACFT MADESVRL HDG CHGS & WAS RTRNG TO THE DEP ARPT BEFORE IT CRASHED. THE FWD PART OF THE ACFT WAS BURIED IN A SWAMP, BUT THE AFT EDGES OF THE WINGS, FUSELAGE & EMPENNAGE WERE VISIBLE ABOVE WATER. THE PROPS HAD ROTATIONAL DMG; NO PREIMPACT MECH FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS EVIDENT. AN EXAM OF THE RGT ENG REVEALED ITS #2 PUSH RODS & ROCKER ARMS/SHAFTS/RETAINERS HAD BEEN REMOVED BEFORE FLT. ALSO, A #2 SPARK PLUG WAS STOWED WITH ITS IGNITION LEAD ATTACHED. THE ACFT OWNER WAS NOT FND. THE PLT'S MED CERT WAS DATED 5/28/85.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 421 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Dec 1987 | Cessna 421A | Hilton Head Isl, South Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 31 Oct 1987 | Cessna 421C | Wollongong, Australia | Fabergo PTY Ltd | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jun 1987 | Cessna 421B | Miami, Florida, United States | O.c.king | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jul 1987 | Cessna 421 | Gordonsville, Virginia, United States | Donald A. Henke | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1987 | Cessna 421C | Crystal City, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Aug 1987 | Cessna 421C | Clifton, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Mar 1987 | Piper PA-34-200 | Miami, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Mar 1987 | Piper PA-28-140 | Miami, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 25 Mar 1987 | Aero Mirage TC-2 | Williston, Florida, United States | Kenneth Wheeler | Fatal | 1 |
| 2 Apr 1987 | Eagle C-7 | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Apr 1987 | Bellanca 7GCBG | New Smyrna Bch, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1987 | Piper PA-28-181 | Florida City, Florida, United States | American Aviation, Inc. | Fatal | 1 |