Cessna 421B accident near Jacksonville, Florida, June 4, 2006
On June 4, 2006 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 421B, registered N80MJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jacksonville, Florida (Craig Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An undetermined event during takeoff/initial climb, which resulted in an emergency landing after takeoff and substantial damage to the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 2006 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Florida · Craig Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421B · all 421Bs on the register
- Registration
- N80MJ · no longer on the register · serial 421B0311
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91. He reported that during initial climb after takeoff, he felt intense heat from the instrument panel and floorboard. He also thought he smelled smoke. The pilot declared an emergency, and returned to the airport. He said several aural warning alarms sounded, and his communications radio was inoperative. He reported he thought the airplane was on fire, and landed in the dirt between the runway and taxiway, with the landing gear retracted. The airplane collided with the ground and a runway sign, damaging its wings. An FAA operations inspector and an FAA maintenance inspector examined the airplane. They found no evidence of heat or smoke, and the navigation instruments and communications radios appeared to operate normally. The airplane was not examined by the NTSB.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,654 hours in all; 580 in this make and model; 13 in the last 30 days; 1,654 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,392 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2005; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,840 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRG Jacksonville FL at 4:00 pm
- Destination: PEN Pensacola FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 4,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.