Cessna 421B accident near Winner, South Dakota, September 20, 1988
On September 20, 1988 at about 5:55 pm local time, a Cessna 421B, registered N44HV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Winner, South Dakota (Wiley airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 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
- September 20, 1988 · about 5:55 pm local time
- Place
- Winner, South Dakota · Wiley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421B · all 421Bs on the register
- Registration
- N44HV · registry record · serial 421B0652
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PRIVATE PLT AND 4 PAX WERE ATTEMPTING TAKEOFF ON RWY 13, A 3,900 X 30 FT ASPHALT RWY. THE PLT SAID THE ACFT ACCELERATED TO 100 KNOTS BUT HE COULD NOT RAISE THE NOSE FOR LIFT OFF. THE PLT SAID HE ABORTED THE TAKEOFF AND INTENTIONALLY GROUND LOOPED TO THE RT; HOWEVER, A WITNESS REPORTED THAT THE ACFT LEFT THE RWY AT HIGH SPEED AND THE ENGINES SOUNDED AS IF THEY WERE AT FULL POWER. A POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION BY AN FAA INVESTIGATOR REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PRE-ACCIDENT FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. THE INVESTIGATOR SAID THAT THE GROUND IMPRESSIONS SHOWED NO INDICATION OF BRAKING AND INDICATED THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED 400 FEET BEYOND THE RWY. A SHORT DISTANCE FARTHER, THE MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED. THE ACFT CAME TO REST IN A DITCH, 900 FEET AFTER LEAVING THE RWY AND SLIGHTLY RIGHT OF THE EXTENDED RWY CENTER LINE. IN A POST ACC INTERVIEW CONCERNING THE CONTROLS POSSIBLY BEING LOCKED THE PLT STATED THAT THE CONTROL LOCK HAD BEEN MISSING FOR 'SEVERAL WEEKS.'
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,128 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,951 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 1988; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SD39 at 5:55 pm
- Destination: DET Detroit MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 3,900 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N44HV the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.