Cessna 421B N70PD

Summary

On 18 March 1998 at about 11:41 local time, a Cessna 421B registered N70PD was involved in an accident near Show Low, Arizona, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 March 1998 at 11:41

Classification

Accident

Location

Show Low, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Show Low Municipal (SOW)

Coordinates

34.2294, -110.0694

Aircraft

Cessna 421B

Registration

N70PD

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Zuni Pueblo

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX98LA121

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to attain the proper alignment on the runway due to the obscuration by snow of the runway and on the airplane's windows.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot taxied about 1/2 mile before reaching the displaced threshold of the runway. Witness reports indicated that it was snowing heavily and the pilot admitted that his windscreen was partially covered with heavy, wet snow. The pilot thought the snow would not be a factor once he began his takeoff roll. Examination of the runway by FAA inspectors disclosed that the starting point of the takeoff roll and where the airplane came to rest was a straight line, and, the airplanes tracks showed that the pilot inadvertently lined the airplane up with the runway edge lines rather than the centerline stripe. The airplane departed the runway and the nose gear collapsed in the mud. There was no evidence of a mechanical malfunction.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.