Cessna 421B N421H

Summary

On 6 January 1991 at about 02:43 local time, a Cessna 421B registered N421H was involved in an accident near Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States. 6 people were on board and 6 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 January 1991 at 02:43

Classification

Accident

Location

Muskogee, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

Davis Field (MKO)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Cessna 421B

Registration

N421H

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Albuquerque

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

FTW91FA027

6 people died.

THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT, DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND THE PILOT'S PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT FROM THE CHRONIC SINUS INFECTION.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A PLT (WHOSE INSTRUMENT CURRENCY COULD NOT BE DTRMD) TOOK OFF AT NGT IN IMC. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE ACFT CRASHED ABT 1.5 MI FM THE DEP END OF THE RWY. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT IT IMPACTED IN AN 85 DEG RGT BANK, NOSE DWN ATTITUDE AT HI SPEED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE WAS FND DRG THE INVESTIGATION; HOWEVER, DRG A PRE-PURCHASE INSPN ON 10/16/90, SVRL DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED. THESE INCLUDED AN INOP FLT DRCTR, AN AUTOPLT MALFUNCTION & A MISRIGGED FLT CTL SYS THAT ALLOWED THE CTRL WHEEL TO INDC A LEFT TURN WHEN THE ACFT WAS IN LVL FLT. THERE WAS NO RECORD OF THESE BEING REPAIRED. RECORDS SHOWED THE PITOT-STATIC SYS WAS LAST TESTED ON 3/24/88. THE PLT WAS TAKING SINE-AID & TYLENOL FOR A CHRONIC SINUS INFECTION. ALTHOUGH TOX CHECKS INDCD THE PRESENCE OF 50.7 UG/ML OF PSEUDOEPHEDRINE & 36.4 UG/ML OF ACETAMINOPHEN IN THE PLT'S URINE, NONE WAS FOUND IN HIS BLOOD. THE SINUS COND COULD HAVE AFFECTED THE PLT'S BALANCE & EQUILIBRIUM.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.