Cessna 421C accident near Houston, Texas, January 7, 1983
On January 7, 1983 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N448, was substantially damaged in an accident near Houston, Texas (Wm. P. Hobby airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- January 7, 1983 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Wm. P. Hobby · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N448 · no longer on the register · serial 421C-1034
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT AFTER A NORMAL COUPLED ILS APPROACH HE BROKE OUT AT ABOUT 250 FT AGL AND 1/2 MILE FROM THE RWY. HE DISCONNECTED THE APPROACH COUPLER AND LINED UP WITH THE RWY. HE STATED THAT DURING THE TRANSITION FROM IFR TO VISUAL HIS RATE OF DESCENT INCREASED AND HE LANDED HARD BLOWING THE LEFT TIRE. THE ACFT LEFT THE RWY AND TURNED 180 DEGREES. THE LEFT PROPELLER HIT THE GROUND AFTER THE ACFT LEFT THE RWY.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,200 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 10,006 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 350 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 30, 1982
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CRP Corpus Christi TX at 7:15 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13R, 7,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 N448 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.