Cessna 421C accident near Charlotte, North Carolina, June 14, 1999
On June 14, 1999 at about 4:57 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N421LL, was destroyed in an accident near Charlotte, North Carolina (Concord Regional airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to shutdown the right engine and feather the propeller after a reported loss of power in the engine shortly after takeoff resulting in the airplane descending, colliding with trees and then the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 14, 1999 · about 4:57 pm local time
- Place
- Charlotte, North Carolina · Concord Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N421LL · registry record · serial 421C-0305
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An aircraft mechanic stated one of the airplanes engines was making an unusual noise during takeoff. An Air Traffic Controller stated the flight used about 4,500 feet of runway before lifting off. About 1 minute after being cleared for takeoff, the pilot reported 'were coming around were losing a right engine'. The controller and a witness observed the airplane level off, sway to the left and right, and then descend. The pilot reported he was not going to make it. The airplane was lost from sight behind trees. Post crash examination of the airplane structure, flight controls, engines, and propellers showed no evidence of pre-crash failure or malfunction that would have prevented operation. The landing gear and wing flaps were found retracted. The left and right propellers were found in the low blade angle position and had similar damage. An NTSB sound study of ATC communications showed that at the time the pilot reported they were not going to make it, a propeller signature showed 1,297 rpm and another propeller signature of 2,160 rpm. The engine inoperative procedure contained in the Pilot Operating Handbook for the Cessna 421C, calls for the throttle on the inoperative engine to be closed, the mixture placed in idle cut-off, and the propeller feathered. The Pilot Operating Handbook also showed the airplane would normally use 2,000 feet of runway for takeoff under the accident conditions.
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: 7,500 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,145 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 3, 1998; 236 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: JQF at 4:55 pm
- Destination: AND Anderson SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from JQF, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.