Cessna 411 accident near Mobile, Alabama, March 16, 1985
On March 16, 1985 at about 4:46 pm local time, a Cessna 411, registered N213CM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mobile, Alabama (Brookley airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 1985 · about 4:46 pm local time
- Place
- Mobile, Alabama · Brookley
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 411 · all 411s on the register
- Registration
- N213CM · registry record · serial 411-0015
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT EXPERIENCED A TTL ELECTRICAL FAILURE FOR UNKNOWN REASONS. THE PLT DESCENDED AND FLEW BELOW LOW CEILINGS UNTIL AND ARPT WAS FOUND. ATTEMPTS TO LOWER THE LANDING GEAR WITH THE EMERG HAND CRANK FAILED. LOW ON FUEL, HE LANDED WITH GEAR UP. THE PLT SELECTED GRASS AREA BESIDE THE RWY TO LAND. DURING THE LANDING THE ACFT CONTACTED A CONCRETE POST WHICH WAS OBSCURED BY TALL GRASS. DURING THE INVESTIGATION THE LANDING GEAR WAS LOWERED WITH THE EMERG HAND CRANK. THE ONLY ELECTRICAL COMPONENT FAILURE FOUND WAS A CORRODED MASTER BATTERY SOLENOID.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,948 hours in all; 296 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,408 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTISO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GPT Gulfport AL
- Destination: 79J Andalusia AL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:31 pm from RFM
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.