Cessna 421B N421SD

Summary

On 2 December 2004 at about 18:24 local time, a Cessna 421B registered N421SD, operated by Georgia Cumberland Conference of Seventh Day, was involved in an accident near Apison, Tennessee, United States. 6 people were on board and 5 died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 December 2004 at 18:24

Classification

Accident

Location

Apison, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

35.0811, -85.0092

Aircraft

Cessna 421B

Registration

N421SD

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Georgia Cumberland Conference of Seventh Day

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Collegedale → Knoxville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ATL05FA032

5 people died.

The pilot's improper identification of a partial loss of engine power on initial takeoff climb resulting in a collision with trees and the ground. A factor was a partial failure of the left engine starter adapter due to overload.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport pilot (ATP) stated the airplane was between 200 to 300 feet on initial takeoff climb when the right engine lost power and the airplane yawed to the right. The pilot lowered the nose of the airplane to gain airspeed, pulled the right power lever rearward and nothing happened. The pilot did not feather the right propeller and started moving switches in the vicinity of the boost pump switches. The ATP passenger stated, he did not think the left engine was producing full power. He scanned the instruments with his eyes looking at the manifold pressure gauges. "One needle was at zero and the other was at 25-inches. The manifold pressure should have been 39-inches of manifold pressure. The ATP passenger observed trees to their front and thought the pilot was trying to make a forced landing in an open field to their left. The ATP passenger realized the airplane was going to collide with the trees. Just before the airplane collided with the trees, the pilot feathered the right engine. The ATP passenger observed the right propeller going into the feather position, and the propeller came to a complete stop. Examination of the right engine revealed no anomalies. Examination of the left engine revealed the starter adapter gear teeth had failed due to overload.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.