Aircraft model
CESSNA 421
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The first Golden Eagle, built 1968 to 1970: a pressurized piston twin with two 375 hp geared, turbocharged Continental GTSIO-520-D engines and a 6,800 lb maximum weight. Cessna's pitch was a cabin-class aeroplane at half the price of a turboprop, and for a while it worked. The short wing and the lower gross weight make it the least capable of the 421 family and the cheapest to buy by a wide margin.
The geared Continental is the reason 421 prices are what they are. It runs the crankshaft faster than the propeller, it is intolerant of abrupt power changes, its recommended overhaul interval is shorter than a comparable direct-drive engine's and the overhaul itself costs more. Two of them, plus a pressurisation system, plus the age of an early airframe, is a serious annual commitment. These are wonderful aeroplanes to fly and they punish owners who buy on the purchase price alone.
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Put CESSNA 421 side by side with up to two other models.
- CESSNA 421
What it is
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Continental GTSIO-520-D (geared, turbocharged) |
| Horsepower | 375 hp |
| Fuel | 100LL |
| Certification basis | CAR3 |
| Production start | 1968 |
| Production end | 1970 |
| Endorsements required | complex;high-performance;pressurized/high-altitude;multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 222 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 826 nm |
| Service ceiling | 26,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,700 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 76 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 2,516 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 2,110 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 6 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 2,563 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 1,543 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 6,800 lb |
| Empty weight | 4,237 lb |
| Usable fuel | 170 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 43.5 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $69,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $230,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,200 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $75,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $115,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 184 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 28 |
| Median year built | 1968.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 2 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 71.43 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 71.43 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 6 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 21.43 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 7 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 0 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 28 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 28 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 28 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, piston, 2 engines, 7+ seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | 9.3 of 103 |
| Support | 2.1 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 3.8 of 105 |
- Accident record: class median 15.87 · 17 models in class.
- Severity: class median 20.42.
- Access: class median 3,096.5.
- Support: class median 132.5.
- Liquidity: class median 23.08.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.