Cessna 421C accident near Battle Creek, Michigan, October 22, 1995
On October 22, 1995 at about 1:20 am local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N421TV, was destroyed in an accident near Battle Creek, Michigan. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's decision to fly in adverse weather (icing) conditions; the accumulation of airframe ice; and the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed for the situation, which resulted in a loss of aircraft control. The icing condition was a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 1995 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Battle Creek, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N421TV · registry record · serial 421C-0334
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While receiving radar vectors for an approach to land, the airplane (a Cessna 421C) departed controlled flight and impacted the terrain. Witnesses reported that they heard the engines operating before the plane crashed. During an investigation, no mechanical anomalies of the airplane were found. The pilot of a Boeing 727 reported that his airplane accumulated a 'quick load' of ice during his descent to land at the same airport within an hour of the accident.
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: 890 hours in all; 218 in this make and model; 768 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,779 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 3, 1995; 152 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO at 10:00 pm
- Destination: BTL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 230° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.