Cessna 421C accident near Phoenix, Arizona, September 2, 1995
On September 2, 1995 at about 7:16 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N3911C, was destroyed in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix Deer Valley Muni 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 maintain positive aircraft control, a proper airspeed and fly a proper approach path during final approach. Contributing factors to the accident were the pilot's physiological condition, impairment as a result of using a sedating medication, and lack of recent experience.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 2, 1995 · about 7:16 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Phoenix Deer Valley Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N3911C · no longer on the register · serial 421C-0138
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was cleared to land, and while on short final the airplane was observed to roll right then left into a yaw and then descend nose down into a parking lot. Witnesses reported the airplane being very low on final approach. According to the pilot's wife, his last flight was about 83 days prior to the accident. No current logbook or other maintenance-type records were recovered except for an invoice. The invoice was dated 12/20/94, and was for an annual inspection and for the replacement of six fuel inlet float valves in compliance with an airworthiness directive. Postaccident examination of the engines, propellers, and airframe components were conducted, with no discrepancies found. Symmetrical power signatures were observed on both propellers. An autopsy revealed mild focal patchy inflamation and mild cardiomegaly, and enlargement of the heart with focal patchy replacement fibrosis. Toxicology revealed Diphenhydramine, Naproxin, acetaminophen, and Salicylate in the blood and the urine at therapeutic levels. Diphenhydramine, at therapeutic levels, causes drowsiness.
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: 879 hours in all; 2 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 20, 1994
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-H (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DVT AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7R, 8,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:17 pm from DVT, 1 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.