Cessna 421 accident near Richmond, Indiana, March 18, 1982
On March 18, 1982 at about 2:12 pm local time, a Cessna 421, registered N33KC, was destroyed in an accident near Richmond, Indiana (Richmond Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured. 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 18, 1982 · about 2:12 pm local time
- Place
- Richmond, Indiana · Richmond Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421 · all 421s on the register
- Registration
- N33KC · registry record · serial 4210026
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A VOR APPROACH TO RUNWAY 05 WHEN 3 MILES AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT AT MINIMUMS GROUND CONTACT WAS NOT MADE. THE PILOT STATED THAT SHE ELECTED TO PERFORM A MISSED APPROACH BUT BEFORE POWER WAS APPLIED THE COPILOT RAISED THE FLAPS. SHE FURTHER STATED THAT SHE THEN FELT A SINKING FEELING AND PUT IN MORE POWER. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN AN OPEN FIELD APPROXIMATELY 2.3 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,250 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,550 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,231 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Atlas Plastics Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: St. Louis MO at 7:30 am
- Destination: Richmond IN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5, 5,202 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 104°F (40°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.