Cessna 421C incident near St. Louis, Missouri, September 7, 1982
On September 7, 1982 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N6868D, suffered minor damage in an incident near St. Louis, Missouri. It was a personal 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 1982 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- St. Louis, Missouri · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N6868D · registry record · serial 1054
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT REPORTED, THE FLIGHT ENCOUNTERED ICING CONDITIONS NEAR ST. LOUIS AND THE PROPELLER DE-ICE SYSTEM WAS ACTIVATED. WHEN DE-ICE SYSTEM WAS TURNED ON, FLAMES SHOT OUT FROM THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER OF THE PILOT'S INSTUMENT PANEL WHERE THE DE-ICE AMMETER IS LOCATED. THE PILOT TURNED OFF THE PROPELLER DE-ICE SWITCH AND THE FLAMES STOPPED. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE PROPELLER DE-ICE AMMETER REVEALED THAT IT WAS SHORTED TO THE INSTUMENT PANEL. THE AMMETER HAD BEEN MOVED TO THIS LOCATION ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 650 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 2,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AZO Kalamazoo MI
- Destination: Wichita KS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N6868D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.