Cessna 421B accident near Chesapeake, Virginia, November 28, 1989
On November 28, 1989 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Cessna 421B, registered N3359Q, was destroyed in an accident near Chesapeake, Virginia (Chesapeake airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT MISJUDGED DISTANCE AND ALTITUDE TO THE RUNWAY, WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO LAND. THE LIGHT CONDITION AT DUSK WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 28, 1989 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Chesapeake, Virginia · Chesapeake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421B · all 421Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3359Q · no longer on the register · serial 421B0243
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RETURNED TO THE ARPT AT DUSK & MADE A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 23. HE RPRTD THAT AS THE ACFT WAS DESCENDING THRU 350 FT MSL ON FINAL APCH, IT WAS ALIGNED WITH THE RWY, THE AIRSPEED WAS 105 KTS & THE FLAPS WERE EXTENDED 25 DEG. HOWEVER, THE ACFT HIT TREES & CRASHED ABOUT 1/8 MI SHORT OF THE RWY. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION WAS RPRTD. THE ARPT ELEVATION WAS 20 FT.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,800 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 165 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 9,500 as pilot in command; 5,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,760 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 4, 1989; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-H (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mid Eastern Airways, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: OCW Washington NC at 10:25 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 3,590 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 230° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:10 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.