Cessna 421B accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, July 3, 1989
On July 3, 1989 at about 7:00 am local time, a Cessna 421B, registered N149RT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Fort Lauderdale Executive airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 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
IMPROPER FLARE BY THE PILOT. THE LIGHT CONDITION (DARK NIGHT) WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 1989 · about 7:00 am local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Fort Lauderdale Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421B · all 421Bs on the register
- Registration
- N149RT · registry record · serial 421-00430
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING AN APPROACH TO LAND AT NIGHT, SHE ALLOWED THE AIRSPEED TO DISSIPATE AND THE SINK RATE TO INCREASE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN HARD AND ALL THREE OF THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. NO PRE-ACCIDENT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS EVIDENT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 6,840 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ISM Kissimmee FL at 5:55 am
- Destination: FXE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 6,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:47 am from FLL, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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 MIA89LA183.