Cessna 421B N69924

Summary

On 5 September 2012 at about 14:49 local time, a Cessna 421B registered N69924, operated by Campbell John, was involved in an accident near Fort Worth, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 September 2012 at 14:49

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Worth, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Fort Worth Spinks Airport (FWS)

Coordinates

32.5589, -97.3047

Aircraft

Cessna 421B

Registration

N69924

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Campbell John

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Worth → San Antonio

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN12FA606

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control on takeoff, which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Contributing to the accident were the unlatched nose cargo door, the pilot’s diverted attention, and the pilot's mental ability to handle the emergency situation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was distracted by the nose cargo door popping open during takeoff; the airplane stalled and collided with trees off the end of the runway. The pilot said there were no mechanical problems with the airplane or engines and that he was fixated on the cargo door and lost control of the airplane. He also said that due to stress, he was not mentally prepared to handle the emergency situation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.