Cessna 421C accident near Waterville, Maine, August 6, 1989
On August 6, 1989 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N211PB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waterville, Maine (Waterville airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT, HIS FAILURE TO OBTAIN NOTAMS, AND FAILURE OF THE APPROACH CONTROLLER TO PROVIDE A SAFETY ADVISORY ABOUT THE RUNWAY CONDITION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1989 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Waterville, Maine · Waterville
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N211PB · registry record · serial 068H
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL AT WATERVILLE, THE FLT WAS HANDED OFF TO BRUNSWICK APCH CTL & CLRD FOR A VOR/DME APCH TO THE UNCTLD ARPT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PLT LANDED ON RWY 5, WHICH HE THOUGHT WAS 5500' LONG. HOWEVER, THE NE 2700' OF THE RWY WAS CLOSED. THE PLT RPRTD THAT HE FAILED TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE REACHING BARRICADES, SO HE EXITED THE RWY TO THE LEFT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT ENCTRD MUD, GRASS & CONSTRUCTION MTRLS & WAS DAMAGED. THE PLT HAD RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING BEFORE THE FLT; HOWEVER, HE INTERRUPTED THE BRIEFING BEFORE IT WAS FINISHED & DID NOT OBTAIN INFO ABOUT NOTAMS. THE APCH CTLR DID NOT ADZ THE PLT ABOUT THE RWY COND.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 12,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,497 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 29, 1989; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HVA Hyannis MA at 3:15 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5, 2,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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 NYC89LA191.