Cessna 421A accident near San Diego, California, July 4, 1985
On July 4, 1985 at about 4:10 am local time, a Cessna 421A, registered N222CF, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Diego, California (Brown Fld Muni airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1985 · about 4:10 am local time
- Place
- San Diego, California · Brown Fld Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421A · all 421As on the register
- Registration
- N222CF · registry record · serial 421A0015
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LANDING ROLL OUT THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED IN AN OUTWARD DIRECTION. EXAM OF THE RT GEAR REVEALED THAT THE BOLT WHICH IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER & LOWER GEAR TORQUE LINKS WAS MISSING. AN EXAM OF THE LEFT GEAR ASSEMBLY REVEALED THAT THE REQUIRED COTTER PIN, WHICH SECURES THE CORRESPONDING BOLT FOR THE LT GEAR, WAS MISSING.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,640 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 47 in the last 90 days; 36 in the last 30 days; 1,499 as pilot in command; 934 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 6,840 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RNO Reno NV at 2:15 am
- Destination: SDM San Diego CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 7,999 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Observation at 3:48 am from SDM
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX85LA306.