Cessna 421 accident near Pocatello, Idaho, January 30, 2007
On January 30, 2007 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Cessna 421, registered N4584L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pocatello, Idaho. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The separation of the bolt that attaches the elevator trim tab actuator rod to the elevator trim tab horn, resulting in violent flutter of the elevator, and eventually to the separation of the inboard half of the right elevator.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 2007 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Pocatello, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421 · all 421s on the register
- Registration
- N4584L · no longer on the register · serial 421-0184
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the climb to cruise altitude, the bolt that holds the elevator trim tab actuator rod to the trim tab horn came loose from its retaining nut and separated from the aircraft. This led to severe airframe vibration, and eventually to violent elevator flutter. As a result of the flutter, the inboard half of the right elevator separated from the airframe. By reducing power on the right engine, and adding power on the left engine, the pilot was able to crab the aircraft, reduce the airflow over the right stabilizer/elevator, and ultimately execute an emergency full-stop landing.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,058 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 5,624 as pilot in command; 570 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,381 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 6,840 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KIDA Idaho Falls ID at 8:40 pm
- Destination: KU01 American Falls ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.