Cessna421

The airplane sustained substantial damage at 1540 Central time when it collided with terrain following a loss of control while returning to land. The pilot received serious injuries. Visual conditions prevailed. Shortly after taking off, the pilot told ATC he had a problem and needed to return to land. The tower cleared the pilot to land. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane enter a steep right bank and descend to impact with the terrain.

At about 1130 Eastern time, the airplane sustained substantial damage during a gear-up landing in visual conditions. The pilot later reported that, during initial climb, he smelled smoke and felt heat in the cockpit, then turned back toward the airport. He said several aural warnings sounded. During the descent back to the airport his communications radio malfunctioned, and he was unable to contact the tower after declaring the initial emergency. The pilot said he thought the airplane was on fire, and landed gear-up in the dirt between the taxiway and the runway….

At about 0755 Eastern time, the airplane collided with two telephone poles and wires during a go-around. Visual conditions prevailed. The airplane was substantially damaged; the Commercial pilot and pilot-rated passenger were seriously injured. According to witnesses, the airplane was observed near the middle of the runway approximately 20 feet above ground with its landing gear retracted. One witness-who recently witnessed a gear-up landing-reported hearing a scraping noise similar to that incident. The airplane climbed to an estimated altitude of 100 feet, then disappeared from view….

At about 0950 Eastern time, the airplane was substantially damaged while landing; the Commercial pilot and three passengers were not injured. Visual conditions prevailed. About five minutes after takeoff, the pilot noticed a high oil temperature indication for one of the engines. The pilot elected to return to the departure airport. During touchdown, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane veered right. The airplane traveled off the right side of the runway, struck a ditch and came to rest upright….

The airplane was substantially damaged when its left main landing gear retracted on landing. The Airline Transport pilot and the two medical crewmembers aboard the aeromedical flight were uninjured. The pilot subsequently reported an unsafe gear indication after the last takeoff; he recycled the landing gear two or three times until the gear appeared to be secured. He then noticed that the airspeed was too low for the airplanes indicated flight configuration. The pilot suspected a landing gear malfunction and returned to his departure point. He then made a low approach to the runway and was told by his maintenance personnel that the left gear was still extended. The pilot cycled the gear…

At 1530 mountain time, a Cessna 421C landed hard in gusty wind conditions at the Window Rock airport. The pilot and four passengers were not injured. The Part 135 flight departed Flagstaff, Ariz., at 1443 and made a VOR/DME-A circling approach to runway 02 in gusty wind conditions. He reported icing conditions with possible airframe icing as a contributor to the premature landing stall. Prior to the flights departure from Flagstaff, the destination weather was reported as 1,200-foot ceiling and 1-mile visibility, with a 900-foot ceiling and 1-mile visibility as the landing minimums. During the approach the local Automated Surface Observing System was reporting less than the weather briefin…

At approximately 1730 mountain time, a Cessna 421B was damaged while taxiing after landing at Driggs-Reed Memorial Airport. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The pilot reported the airplane had just landed and was exiting the runway when the nose wheel separated from the nose gear, causing the gear assembly to collapse….

At about 1600 Alaska time, a Cessna 421 crashed while on an instrument approach about four miles north of Sitka Airport. The pilot and four passengers were killed. A technician at the Sitka Flight Service Station told investigators the pilot reported that a forward baggage door had come open, and that he wanted to land at Sitka and inspect the door. The pilot was cleared for the GPS Rwy 11 approach to Sitka. The pilot reported he was final approach fix inbound on the instrument approach, but the airplane never arrived at the airport. The accident site was inside the final approach fix, three miles from the missed approach point, and about two miles north of the course centerline….

At 17:05 CST, a Cessna 421C was substantially damaged during a forced landing near Shelbyville. The pilot was not injured but his four passengers sustained minor injuries. The flight was enroute from New Orleans to Omaha, Neb. During cruise flight at 14,000 feet the aircraft encountered icing. The pilot activated the propeller anti-ice system and observed that the right propeller anti-icing circuit breaker was popped out. He reset the circuit breaker and the airplane experienced a total electrical failure. He initiated an emergency descent, and entered into VFR conditions at about 1,500 feet. The pilot said he flew around for about 30 minutes trying to locate an airport. It was getting dark…

At 21:45 PST, a Cessna 421B aborted takeoff from the North Bend Municipal Airport and overran the end of the runway, killing the two occupants. The flight was taking off for Aurora, Ore. Witnesses at various points along the south side of the runway reported that the engines sounded like they were developing full power, and the takeoff roll appeared normal. Four U.S. Coast Guard mechanics were working on the ramp near the end of the runway and reported that the engines sounded normal. One of the mechanics reported that he looked up and saw the aircraft at about 50 feet above ground level, then the engine power decreased on both engines. The mechanic lost sight of the aircraft, but reported t…