Cessna 421C accident near Bay City, Michigan, February 8, 1985
On February 8, 1985 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N5484G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bay City, Michigan (James Clements airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- February 8, 1985 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Bay City, Michigan · James Clements · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N5484G · no longer on the register · serial 421C0231
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLODED WITH A SNOWBANK DURING LNDG. THE PLT & PASSG STATED THAT A LNDG GEAR CUGHT IN SNOW PILED AT AN INTERSECTION FROM PLOWING. THE INDUCED DRAG VEERED THE ACFT OFF THE RWY TO THE LEFT.
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: 1,771 hours in all; 586 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 1,637 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20,998 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 1985; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MOP Mt. Pleasant MI at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,200 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 12°F (-11°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from MBS, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.