Cessna 421C accident near Crystal City, Texas, July 24, 1987
On July 24, 1987 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N448, was destroyed in an accident near Crystal City, Texas (H & F Ranchstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. 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
- July 24, 1987 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Crystal City, Texas · H & F Ranchstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N448 · no longer on the register · serial 421C1034
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT LANDED DOWNWIND ON HIS PRIVATE STRIP. THE EXACT AMOUNT OF THE TAILWIND COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. A THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED JUST TO THE EAST OF THE RUNWAY AND COULD HAVE READILY GIVEN N448 A STRONG TAILWIND. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN 390 FEET BEYOND THE THRESHOLD. LIGHT BRAKING ACTION WAS EVIDENT FROM THAT POINT UP TO A POINT 400 FEET FROM A HANGAR WHERE ALL TIRE MARKS DISAPPEARED. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH THE HANGAR, WHICH WAS BUILT AT THE END OF AND ACROSS THE RUNWAY, APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY SURFACE AND WAS DESTROYED BY THE SUBSEQUENT POST CRASH FIRE.
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: 11,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,375 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 16, 1987; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-N (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Beaumont TX
- Destination: 8R4
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,000 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:49 pm from COT, 40 miles away
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.
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.