Cessna 421B accident near Attalla, Alabama, June 10, 1993
On June 10, 1993 at about 11:27 pm local time, a Cessna 421B, registered N699DT, was destroyed in an accident near Attalla, Alabama (Gadsden Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE LEFT ENGINE TURBOCHARGER DUE TO ROTOR SHAFT SEIZURE, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 1993 · about 11:27 pm local time
- Place
- Attalla, Alabama · Gadsden Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421B · all 421Bs on the register
- Registration
- N699DT · no longer on the register · serial 421B0540
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT REPORTED THAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 36, HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE FROM THE LEFT ENGINE AREA, AND OBSERVED SMOKE TRAILING THE LEFT ENGINE NACELLE. HE CONFIRMED THAT THE LEFT ENGINE WAS LOSING POWER, AND HE FEATHERED THE LEFT PROPELLER. HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE, AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS FORCE LANDED ON WOODED TERRAIN. THE AIRCRAFT CAUGHT FIRE ON THE GROUND AFTER COLLIDING WITH TREES AND WAS DESTROYED. AN INSPECTION OF THE LEFT ENGINE TURBOCHARGER REVEALED THAT THE ROTOR SHAFT WAS SEIZED, WITH EVIDENCE OF METAL TRANSFER TO THE BEARING JOURNALS.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 15,500 hours in all; 300 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 14,000 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,430 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 9, 1993; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-H (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GAD Gadsden AL at 11:25 pm
- Destination: HSV Huntsville AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 4,803 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from GAD, 2 miles away
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.