Admin: New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources

2026-11-01T21:12:41Z

New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources

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{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Cessna 421
| image = Cessna421B-Landing.jpg
| caption = Cessna 421. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via [[commons:File:Cessna421B-Landing.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Cessna
| type = Light transport
| origin = United States
| first_flight = October 14, 1965
| produced = 1967–1985
| number_built = 1,916
| faa_registered = 757 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = One or two, Six passengers
| engine = 2 × Continental GTSIO-520-L, 375 hp
| cruise = 240 kn (421C)
| range = 1,487 nmi (421C)
| ceiling = 30,200 ft (421C)
| gross_weight = 7,450 lb (421C)
| developed_from = Cessna 411
| category = Piston twins
}}

The '''Cessna 421 Golden Eagle''' is a six- or seven-seat twin-engine light transport, developed by Cessna in the 1960s as a pressurized version of the Cessna 411.<ref name="wp"/> In the U.S. there are 757 with a valid registration, most of them the 421C.<ref name="faa"/>

== History ==
The first 421 was built in May 1967 for the 1968 model year, with "Stabila-Tip" wingtip fuel tanks and electro-mechanical landing gear like the [[Cessna 310]]'s. It was an immediate hit, selling 200 in its first year. In 1969 the fuselage was stretched three inches, fuel and gross weight went up, and it became the 421A.<ref name="wp"/>

It is an all-metal, low-wing cabin airplane with retractable tricycle gear and two geared Continental GTSIO-520 engines. The cabin door is on the left behind the wing, and it seats six in the basic 421, up to ten in later versions.<ref name="wp"/>

== Versions ==
* '''421''' (approved May 1, 1967): two 375 hp GTSIO-520-Ds, 6,800 lb, 200 built.<ref name="wp"/>
* '''421A''' (approved November 19, 1968): 6,840 lb, 158 built.<ref name="wp"/>
* '''421B Golden Eagle / Executive Commuter''' (approved April 28, 1970): eight seats, 7,250 lb and later 7,450 lb.<ref name="wp"/>
* '''421C''': the most common on the U.S. register today.<ref name="faa"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''757''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| 421C || 493
|-
| 421B || 220
|-
| 421 || 25
|-
| 421A || 19
|}
</div>

== Specifications (421C) ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! 421C
|-
| Crew || One or two
|-
| Passengers / capacity || Six passengers
|-
| Length || 36 ft 4+5/8 in
|-
| Wingspan || 41 ft 1+1/2 in
|-
| Height || 11 ft 5+3/8 in
|-
| Wing area || 215 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 4,501 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 7,450 lb
|-
| Fuel || 206 USgal normal (usable capacity), 262 USgal with optional wing tanks
|-
| Engine || 2 × Continental GTSIO-520-L, 375 hp (turbocharged, fuel injected and geared flat-six engines)
|-
| Propeller || McCauley constant-speed propellers
|-
| Maximum speed || 256 kn
|-
| Cruise speed || 240 kn
|-
| Range || 1,487 nmi
|-
| Service ceiling || 30,200 ft
|-
| Rate of climb || 1,940 ft/min
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:Cessna421BGoldenEagleC-GEGH01.jpg|Cessna 421B (C-GEGH). Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain
File:Cessna421BGoldenEagleC-GKOZ01.jpg|Cessna 421B Golden Eagle (C-GKOZ) seen at Carp Airport near Ottawa ON, 17 December 2006. Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain
File:Cessna421BGoldenEagleC-GKOZ03.jpg|Cessna 421B Golden Eagle (C-GKOZ) seen at Carp Airport near Ottawa ON, 17 December 2006. Photo: Ahunt at English Wikipedia, Public domain
File:Cessna421CPilot.jpg|Cessna 421C Pilot's panel instrumentation. Photo: FacialSurgery, Public domain
File:Cessna421CCoPilot.jpg|Cessna 421C Co-Pilot's panel instrumentation. Photo: FacialSurgery, Public domain
File:1982-Cessna-421C.jpg|1982 Cessna 421C. Photo: FlugKerl2, CC BY-SA 3.0
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Cessna 421 ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_421_Golden_Eagle Cessna 421 Golden Eagle]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>

Cessna 421 - Revision history

Admin: New aircraft page: history, US registrations (FAA), specifications, photos, sources