2005 Crash Claimed Five Near Kansas City Suburb

The NTSB says a pilot's failure to maintain altitude in IMC contributed to a January 2005 accident near Overland Park, KS that claimed the lives of the five people onboard.

In its Probable Cause report, the Board also notes the Cessna 421C Riley Turbine Eagle (file photo of similar model, above) was approximately 600 pounds over gross when it departed Johnson County Executive Airport just after 9:30 am local time. The plane executed a climbing right turn, before leveling off at 2,000 feet. The plane had been cleared to 3,000 feet, and controllers had alerted the pilot to traffic at 4,000 feet.

Witnesses told investigators the plane appeared to be in level flight as it exited a cloud bank, but it then entered a right-hand dive. As Aero-News reported, the plane impacted a retaining wall near a home belonging to former Kansas City Royals pitcher Jason Grimsley.

The report doesn't address why the plane failed to heed the altitude clearance. The Board notes the pilot, James L. Kingston, was flying on instruments in low cloud cover, with a cold drizzle falling. Kingston held a current instrument-rating; the plane was equipped with a VFR-only Garmin 430 VHF/Comm/GPS.

The 421C had been retrofitted with two Lycoming turbines. Kingston was president of Riley Rocket, Inc, which specialized in such applications.

FMI: Read The Complete NTSB Probable Cause Report