Cessna 421B incident near El Paso, Texas, August 16, 1982
On August 16, 1982 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Cessna 421B, registered N1969J, suffered minor damage in an incident near El Paso, Texas (El Paso Int'L airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 incident. 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
- August 16, 1982 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- El Paso, Texas · El Paso Int'L · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421B · all 421Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1969J · registry record · serial 421B0588
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
N1969J IS A 1974 CESSNA 421B MODIFIED BY A RILEY CONVERSION KIT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESCENDING THROUGH ABOUT 1900 FT MSL WHEN, WITHOUT PREVIOUS WARNING, IT YAWED LEFT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE ACFT THEN IMMEDIATELY YAWED SEVERELY TO THE RIGHT AND BEGAN TO PRODUCE A HIGH-PITCHED WHINING NOISE. THE RIGHT ENGINE THEN EXPLODED. ENGINE DEBRIS PENETRATED THE CABIN WALL AND WINDOWS AND STRUCK THE PILOT CAUSING MINOR INJURIES. THE PILOT SECURED THE RT ENGINE, FEATHERED THE PROPELLER AND LANDED AT EL PASO WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THAT THE POWER TURBINE WHEEL HAD DISINTEGRATED INFLIGHT. INTERNAL EXAMINATION REVEALED A BROKEN N2 ACCESSORY IDLER GEAR WHICH EXHIBITED A FATIGUE FRACTURE. A LOOSE NUT SECURING THE N2 ACCESSORY IDLER GEAR AND N2 SPEED DISC ALLOWED RELATIVE MOVEMENT AND WEAR OF THESE PARTS. FATIGUE OF THE IDLER GEAR CAUSED A LOSS OF DRIVE TO THE OVERSPEED GOVERNOR AND ALLOWED THE ENGINE TO OVERSPEED. THE MANUFACTURER IS REDESIGNING THE ASSEMBLY.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,535 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 3,750 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,650 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,800 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming LTP101-600A1A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: J.D. Abrams, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: AUS Austin TX at 1:34 pm
- Destination: Milwaukee WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 9,008 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 212°F (100°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:36 pm from ELP
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.