Cessna 421B accident near Valley Park, Missouri, April 29, 1993
On April 29, 1993 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cessna 421B, registered N4939M, was destroyed in an accident near Valley Park, Missouri (Spirit Of St Louis airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION, DUE TO AN INADEQUATE SUPPLY OF FUEL, AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE DURING APPROACH TO AN EMERGENCY LANDING. A RELATED FACTOR WAS: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO REFUEL THE AIRPLANE BEFORE FLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 1993 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Valley Park, Missouri · Spirit Of St Louis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421B · all 421Bs on the register
- Registration
- N4939M · no longer on the register · serial 421B0632
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TWO FOREIGN PILOTS TOOK OFF VFR TO REMAIN IN THE VICINITY OF AN AIRPORT ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF A METROPOLITAN AREA. NO RECORD WAS FOUND TO SHOW THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN FUELED EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER THE PRECEEDING FLIGHT. THE FLIGHT CREW CONTACTED AN AREA APPROACH CONTROL & REQUESTED AN ILS APPROACH TO TEST THEIR ILS EQUIPMENT WITHOUT SPECIFYING AN AIRPORT. APPROACH CONTROL ISSUED & THE FLIGHT CREW ACCEPTED VECTORS TO ANOTHER AIRPORT FOR WHICH THE PILOTS HAD NO APPROACH PLATE OR AIRPORT INFORMATION. VECTORS TOOK THE AIRPLANE ABOUT 25 MILES FROM THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. THE FLIGHT CREW REQUESTED TO PROCEED BACK TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. A SHORT TIME LATER, THE FLIGHT CREW DECLARED AN EMERGENCY DUE TO LOW FUEL, THEN RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. WITNESSES AT A LANDFILL HEARD AN INTERMITTENT SOUND FROM THE ENGINE(S). THE AIRPLANE CAME INTO THEIR VIEW WITH ONE ENGINE RUNNING, THEN THE ENGINE SOUND CEASED. THEY INDICATED THE AIRPLANE WENT OUT OF CONTROL & CRASHED, BUT ONE ENGINE ACCELERATED JUST BEFORE IMPACT. A SMALL FIRE WAS CONFINED TO THE LEFT WING.
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: foreign licence, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,850 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,726 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 23, 1993; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-H (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SUS Chesterfield MO at 6:22 pm
- Destination: SUS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,800 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from SUS, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.