Cessna 421C accident near Kennesaw, Georgia, July 19, 1985
On July 19, 1985 at about 3:16 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N5473G, was destroyed in an accident near Kennesaw, Georgia (Mccollum airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 4 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 1985 · about 3:16 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Kennesaw, Georgia · Mccollum · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 4 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N5473G · no longer on the register · serial 421C-0220
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LOST POWER ON # 2 ENG SHORTLY AFTER TAKE-OFF. THE ACFT CRASHED AND BURNED IN A WOODED AREA SEVERAL MILES SW OF THE ARPT. THE # 2 ENG WAS SEVERLY DAMAGED IN THE FIRE. NO PRE-IMPACT MALFUNCTION COULD BE DOCUMENTED. EXAMINATION OF THE PROP DID NOT REVEAL DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH THAT USUALLY FOUND WHEN A PROP IS IN THE FEATHERED POSITION. THE FLAP JACK SCREW WAS FOUND IN THE 10-15 DEG POSITION. BOTH ENG HAD A HISTORY OF SHUT DOWN AT LOW PWR SETTINGS DURING TAXI. THE # 2 ENG HAD 'BURBLED' DURING THE PREVIOUS FLT AND THE # 1 ENG SHUT DOWN AFTER LDG.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,770 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 1,590 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,700 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 31, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSI0-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 8A4 Marietta GA at 3:14 pm
- Destination: PIE St.Petersburg FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from MGE, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N5473G: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 421 Golden Eagle 768 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,683 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental GTSI0-520-L 16 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Indianapolis Downtown Heliport · nearest airport
- St. Pete-Clearwater International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Georgia 2,135 since 1982 · 360 in the last ten years
- Georgia 8,800 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL85FA221.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.