Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III crash, Jul 8, 2009 (5 killed)
Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III accident on July 8, 2009 near New Port Richey, Florida, United States with 5 fatalities. Cause: The pilot's decision to...
- Date: July 8, 2009
- Aircraft: Cessna 421C Golden Eagle III
- Location: New Port Richey, Florida, United States
- Fatalities: 5
- Phase of flight: En route
- Cause: The pilot's decision to operate into a known area of adverse weather, leading to penetration of a severe thunderstorm, loss of control and in-flight breakup.
A Cessna 421C on a business flight from McKinney to Tampa flew into a line of thunderstorms along its route after asking ATC for weather. Radar showed a turn south and then southwest into an intense echo, and the aircraft was reported upside down before contact was lost. Debris fields found near a cumulonimbus with an overshooting top indicated an in-flight breakup.