Cessna 421C accident near Muncie, Indiana, January 19, 2005
On January 19, 2005 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N421HG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Muncie, Indiana. It was a personal 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 inadequate flare and the directional control not maintained/obtained by the pilot. Contributing factors were the instrument meteorological conditions, the icing conditions, the limited visibility afforded by the windshield antiice/deice system, and the runway/approach lighting system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 2005 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Muncie, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N421HG · registry record · serial 421C0425
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing on runway 29, the aircraft bounced and impacted the precision approach path indicator. The aircraft came to rest about 2000 feet down the runway, and off the left side in the grass. The pilot reported that during the VOR approach he encountered icing conditions, and at 800 to 900 feet above the ground he entered visual meteorological conditions. He aligned with the runway, and landed "somewhat hard" resulting in the bounce. The aircraft drifted left, which the pilot attributed to his overcorrection during the recovery from the bounced landing. The aircraft touched back down to the left of the runway in a left-wing-low attitude. The aircraft was equipped with a heated windshield; however, during the approach the pilot noticed ice on the non-heated sections of the windshield. The pilot reported the accident could have been prevented by "improved transition by myself from instrument conditions to smooth landing."
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: 1,096 hours in all; 413 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental GTSI0-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ARB Ann Arbor MI
- Destination: MIE Muncie IN
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 1:17 pm from MIE
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.