Cessna 421C accident near Butte, Montana, February 28, 1985
On February 28, 1985 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N98487, was substantially damaged in an accident near Butte, Montana. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 28, 1985 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Butte, Montana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N98487 · no longer on the register · serial 421C-0065
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN LEVEL FLT THE PLT NOTICED A PUFF OF SMOKE EMIT FROM THE LEFT ENGINE, FOLLOWED BY THE APPEARANCE OF HYDRAULIC FLUID AND THE ILLUMINATION OF THE LEFT AND RIGHT HYDRAULIC FLOW LIGHTS. THE PLT LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR DURING THE APCH, HOWEVER, THE NOSE GEAR DID NOT EXTEND. FLAMES WERE THEN NOTICED BURNING THROUGH THE TOP OF THE LEFT ENGINE COWLING. THE PLT SECURED THE ENGINE, USED THE EMERGENCY EXTENSION FOR THE NOSE GEAR AND LANDED THE ACFT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE FIRE STARTED FROM HYDRAULIC FLUID WHICH SPRAYED FROM A BROKEN HYDRAULIC LINE ONTO THE SUPERCHARGER. A SWIVEL HOSE ALUMINUM FITTING, P/N AE70101JZ174, ON THE HYDRAULIC LINE FAILED FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,511 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 7,161 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 260 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 15, 1984; 79 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Oakland CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.