Cessna 421C accident near Polacca, Arizona, July 29, 1994
On July 29, 1994 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N985RA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Polacca, Arizona (Palocca airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's attempt to make a 180-degree turn in soft sand at a speed which imposed side loading on the nose gear. Factors were the pilot's decision to continue the approach beyond the planned touchdown point, the effect of the runway surface on braking action, and the bird strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 1994 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Polacca, Arizona · Palocca · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N985RA · no longer on the register · serial 421C-0083
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported he observed the windsock hanging limp and initiated an approach to runway 22. After turning final, he noticed that the aircraft floated more than usual and suspected that he had a tail wind. Upon touchdown, a bird impacted the copilot's windscreen and he said he may have delayed braking as he attempted to avoid the flock. After touchdown, he said the braking action was less than normal because of the roughness of the tar and dirt build up on the runway surface. By the time he was able to slow the aircraft's landing roll, he had overrun the runway. He immediately noticed the aircraft was rolling into soft sand and was attempting to use his momentum to make a 180-degree turn back to runway when the nose gear collapsed.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,121 hours in all; 87 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 4,299 as pilot in command; 364 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,149 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 8, 1994; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520L (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Randsburg CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: FLG Flagstaff AZ at 10:50 pm
- Runway 22, 4,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 65 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:52 pm from PRC, 119 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
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.