Cessna 421C accident near Cedar City, Utah, February 6, 1997
On February 6, 1997 at about 4:16 am local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N45MV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cedar City, Utah (Cedar City Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
water contamination in the hydraulic system, which froze in the (right) main gear hydraulic actuator, and restricted movement of the (right) main gear retraction and extension system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 6, 1997 · about 4:16 am local time
- Place
- Cedar City, Utah · Cedar City Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N45MV · no longer on the register · serial 0465
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a night instrument approach in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). When he put the gear handle down, the nose gear extended, but neither of the mains indicated down-and-locked. He recycled the gear a number of times, but still did not get a down indication of the main gear. The pilot then used the emergency blow-down gear extension system, but only the nose gear & left main indicated down. Since the gear could not be retracted once the blow-down system was used, & since severe weather was present, the pilot elected to continue the approach & land with the right main gear not fully extended. As the aircraft slowed during the landing roll, the right wing contacted the runway, & the aircraft began to slide sideways. While the aircraft was sliding, the nose gear and left main gear collapsed, and the right gear, which had come partially out of the wheel well, was torn from the wing. Postaccident inspection of the landing gear extension & retraction system revealed that hydraulic fluid in the right main gear actuator contained 30% water by volume. The surface temperature near the time of the landing was 23 degrees Fahrenheit, & the aircraft had been at altitude for over an hour before the approach. There was evidence that while en route, water in the actuator had frozen, & ice had kept the actuator from functioning properly when the pilot attempted to extend the gear. How or when the hydraulic system of the 19 year old aircraft had been contaminated was not determined.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,117 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 121 in the last 90 days; 39 in the last 30 days; 14,815 as pilot in command; 7,997 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,918 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1996; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,629 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAS Las Vegas NV at 3:04 am
- Destination: CDC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 20, 8,652 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
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.