Cessna 421C accident near Wilsonville, Oregon, December 13, 1992
On December 13, 1992, a Cessna 421C, registered N98489, was destroyed in an accident near Wilsonville, Oregon. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 13, 1992
- Place
- Wilsonville, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N98489 · no longer on the register · serial 421C0067
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING THE AIRPLANE FLYING IN A NORMAL CRUISE ATTITUDE WHEN IT ROLLED INVERTED AND THE NOSE DROPPED NEAR VERTICAL TO THE TERRAIN. THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED IN A NEAR VERTICAL DIVE. THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE STARTED TO COME UP HORIZONTAL TO THE TERRAIN WHEN IT STRUCK A 75-FT TREE. DURING THE POST CRASH INVESTIGATION, NO EVIDENCE OF A MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND.
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: 4,138 hours in all; 727 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 4,037 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,474 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 27, 1991; 62 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,100 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PDX Portland OR at 11:53 pm
- Destination: 3S2 Aurora OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,200 ft; scat at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:00 pm from PDX, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.