Cessna 421C accident near Port Lavaca, Texas, September 2, 1983
On September 2, 1983 at about 12:45 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N87546, was substantially damaged in an accident near Port Lavaca, Texas (Tanner airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 2, 1983 · about 12:45 pm local time
- Place
- Port Lavaca, Texas · Tanner · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N87546 · no longer on the register · serial 421C0010
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A FENCE AND BUSHES DURING TAKEOFF. THE RWY WAS SHELL AND TURF CONSTRUCTION 2300 FT LONG. THE PLT FIGURED THE TAKEOFF DISTANCE FROM A CHART USING DRY HARD SURFACED LEVEL RWY. THE ACCELERATION SEEMED SLOW ACCORDING TO A WITNESS AND THE ACFT LEFT TIRE TRACKS UP TO A POINT ABOUT 10 FT FROM THE DEPARTURE END. AFTER COLLIDING WITH THE FENCEAND TOPS OF BUSHES AND TREES THE ACFT SETTLED INTO THE UNDERGROWTH AND SLID TO A STOP. THE ACFT WEIGHED 6718 POUNDS.
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, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,340 hours in all; 126 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,421 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, July 25, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: T97 Port Lavaca TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,300 ft by 105 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.