Cessna 421 accident near Wheeling, Illinois, December 5, 1991
On December 5, 1991 at about 4:50 am local time, a Cessna 421, registered N777RA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wheeling, Illinois (Palwaukee airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE DURING LANDING. A FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE ICY RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 5, 1991 · about 4:50 am local time
- Place
- Wheeling, Illinois · Palwaukee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421 · all 421s on the register
- Registration
- N777RA · registry record · serial 421-0409
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE CONTACTED A SLICK AREA ON THE RUNWAY DURING THE LANDING ROLL. THE AIRPLANE VEERED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY WHERE THE LEFT MAIN GEAR CONTACTED A SNOWBANK. THE AIRPLANE ROTATED LEFT APPROXIMATELY 100 DEGREES AND SLID SIDEWAYS PRIOR TO COMING TO A STOP WITH THE LEFT MAIN GEAR SEPARATED FROM THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT REPORTED THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD WAS COVERED WITH ICE CRYSTALS DURING THE 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,642 hours in all; 509 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,420 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,310 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 11, 1991; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,500 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520L (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Arr CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: OKC Oklahoma City OK at 2:00 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 12, 4,447 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 9°F (-13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.