Cessna 421B accident near Show Low, Arizona, March 18, 1998
On March 18, 1998 at about 11:41 am local time, a Cessna 421B, registered N70PD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Show Low, Arizona (Show Low Municipal airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to attain the proper alignment on the runway due to the obscuration by snow of the runway and on the airplane's windows.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 1998 · about 11:41 am local time
- Place
- Show Low, Arizona · Show Low Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421B · all 421Bs on the register
- Registration
- N70PD · no longer on the register · serial 421B0562
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot taxied about 1/2 mile before reaching the displaced threshold of the runway. Witness reports indicated that it was snowing heavily and the pilot admitted that his windscreen was partially covered with heavy, wet snow. The pilot thought the snow would not be a factor once he began his takeoff roll. Examination of the runway by FAA inspectors disclosed that the starting point of the takeoff roll and where the airplane came to rest was a straight line, and, the airplanes tracks showed that the pilot inadvertently lined the airplane up with the runway edge lines rather than the centerline stripe. The airplane departed the runway and the nose gear collapsed in the mud. There was no evidence of a mechanical malfunction.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,500 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,386 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 13, 1998; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: ZUN Zuni Pueblo NM
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 6,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 320° at 5 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.