Cessna 421C accident near San Antonio, Texas, February 10, 1994
On February 10, 1994 at about 1:13 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N741CA, was destroyed in an accident near San Antonio, Texas (San Antonio International airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER SERVICING OF THE AIRPLANE WITH JET FUEL, WHICH RESULTED IN PREIGNITION AND/OR DETONATION AND SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF PISTONS IN BOTH ENGINES. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: THE LACK OF A RESTRICTIVE MATING NOZZLE ON THE REFUELING TRUCK.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 1994 · about 1:13 pm local time
- Place
- San Antonio, Texas · San Antonio International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N741CA · registry record · serial 421C-0899
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT REPORTED HE HAD 'A PROBLEM' AND NEEDED TO RETURN IMMEDIATELY. WITNESSES OBSERVED DARK BLACK SMOKE COMING FROM BOTH ENGINES. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH A TREE 1/2-MILE NORTHEAST OF THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD. ANALYSIS OF FUEL SAMPLES REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF APPROXIMATELY 50% JET FUEL. THE RIGHT PROPELLER WAS FOUND FEATHERED AND ENGINE DISASSEMBLY REVEALED A HOLE BURNED IN THE RIGHT ENGINE NUMBER 5 PISTON. LEFT ENGINE DISASSEMBLY REVEALED PISTON EDGES ERODED DOWN TO THE FIRST COMPRESSION RING. FUEL FILLER RESTRICTORS HAD BEEN INSTALLED IN THE AIRPLANE'S FUEL TANKS, BUT THE FUEL TRUCK DID NOT HAVE THE RESTRICTIVE MATING NOZZLE. THE FUEL TRUCK WAS OWNED BY THE FUEL VENDER AND LEASED TO THE FBO.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,100 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command; 526 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,916 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 3, 1993; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SAT at 1:11 pm
- Destination: EGP Eagle Pass TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 12R, 8,502 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; not recorded at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:16 pm from SAT, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.