Cessna 421 accident near League City, Texas, March 20, 1997
On March 20, 1997 at about 5:33 am local time, a Cessna 421, registered N4050L, was substantially damaged in an accident near League City, Texas (Houston Gulf airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to refuel the airplane which resulted in the loss of power to the right engine due to fuel exhaustion, and the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed during the single engine landing approach which resulted in a stall/spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 1997 · about 5:33 am local time
- Place
- League City, Texas · Houston Gulf · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421 · all 421s on the register
- Registration
- N4050L · registry record · serial 421-0050
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The twin engine airplane had been cleared for a night instrument approach to Galveston, Texas, after flying non-stop from San Diego, California, when the pilot reported that he had lost the right engine and did not have much fuel left. The controller vectored the airplane toward the closest airport, and the airplane was approximately 1 mile northeast of that airport when radar contact was lost. A witness observed the airplane enter a spin, descend in a nose down attitude, and impact near the center of a lake. When the pilot filed his flight plan for the cross country flight, he indicated the airplane carried enough fuel to fly for 7 hours and 30 minutes. At the time radar contact was lost, 7 hours and 32 minutes had elapsed since the airplane departed San Diego. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any pre-impact mechanical discrepancies. The landing gear was down, the flaps were extended to about 15 degrees, and neither propeller was feathered. The single engine approach procedure in the airplane owner's manual indicated that the landing gear should be extended when within gliding distance of the field and the flaps placed down only after landing is assured.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 536 hours in all; 344 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 21, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 6,800 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MYF San Diego CA at 10:01 pm
- Destination: GLS Galveston TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 am from EFD, 9 miles away
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.