Cessna 421 Golden Eagle

The Golden Eagle, Cessna's top piston twin, built 1968-1985: pressurised, cabin-class, with two 375 hp geared turbocharged Continental GTSIO-520s that turn slowly and quietly. The 421B (1970) brought a wider span and higher ceiling; the 421C (1976-85) the bonded wet wing without tip tanks and trailing-link gear from 1981. All variants share type certificate A7CE with the 401/402/411/414/425.

The variants

MODEL	YEARS	ACTIVE	TAILFAX SCORE	WHAT CHANGED
421	1968–1970	28	Partial 15.2/30	The original, 1968-70: short wing, 6,800 lb
421B	1970–1975	225	21.7/50	Wider span, higher ceiling, eight seats
421C	1976–1985	497	23.1/50	Bonded wet wing, no tip tanks; trailing-link gear from 1981

Family fleet, active

750

FAA registry

NTSB events / 1,000, 10 yrs

50.7

38 events over 750 active aircraft, pooled across the family

Successor

Cessna 425 Conquest I

Data as of: FAA registry Sep 28 · NTSB Oct 2 · scores Sep 30