Cessna 421C accident near Clifton, Arizona, August 16, 1987
On August 16, 1987 at about 10:14 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N26596, was destroyed in an accident near Clifton, Arizona (Greenlee County 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1987 · about 10:14 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Clifton, Arizona · Greenlee County · cases near this airport · 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
- N26596 · no longer on the register · serial 421C1208
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT DEPTD RY 25 AT GREENLEE CTY ARPT, CLIFTON, AZ ON A VFR FLT TO PHOENIX, AZ. THE PLT & GND WITNESSES RPTD THAT SHORTLY AFTER LIFT-OFF, GRAYISH/WHITE SMOKE EMANATED FROM THE LEFT ENGINE. THE PLT WAS UNABLE TO FEATHER THE PROP, CIRCLED THE ARPT ABT 2 TIMES AT A LOW ALTITUDE AND LANDED BETWEEN THE RUNWAYS. THE POST CRASH INVESTIGATION DSCLSD THE FIRE ORIGINATED IN THE VICINITY OF THE LEFT ENGINE TURBOCHARGER. THE TURBOCHARGER OIL LINE HOUSING WAS FOUND FRACTURED. THE HOUSING WAS MISSING WHEN THE ENGINES WERE SHIPPED TO TELEDYNE CONTINENTAL MOTORS (TCM). THE ENGINE CRATES WERE OPENED BEFORE SAFETY BOARD INVESTIGATORS ARRIVED AT TCM TO CONDUCT THE ENGINE EXAMINATION. THE LEFT ENGINE EXAM DISCLSD EXTERNAL HIGH TEMP DISTRESS AND MINOR DETONATION SIGNATURES.
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: 4,002 hours in all; 2,436 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,611 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 14, 1986; 226 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Destination: DVT Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 4,985 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 7°F (-14°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N26596: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 421 Golden Eagle 768 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520 179 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Greenlee County · nearest airport
- Phoenix Deer Valley Airport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 468 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,426 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX87FA306.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.