Cessna 421B N421CF

Summary

On 2 January 2000 at about 16:50 local time, a Cessna 421B registered N421CF was involved in an accident near Telluride, Colorado, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 January 2000 at 16:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Telluride, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

37.9401, -107.8995

Aircraft

Cessna 421B

Registration

N421CF

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Montrose → Las Cruces

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN00FA037

1 person died.

The non-instrument rated pilot's intentional flight into IMC, and his subsequent spatial disorientation that resulted in an inadvertent stall. A factor was the snow showers weather condition.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument rated private pilot departed Montrose, Colorado, southbound in a Cessna 421B. According to radar data, the airplane climbed from 14,300 to 16,600 feet msl at a rate of 1,792 fpm. The data shows that 19 seconds later, the airplane lost 4,000 feet of altitude, or descended at a rate of 12,631 fpm. The airplane then climbed back to 13,300 feet msl at a rate of 1,448 fpm, and then disappeared from radar. The airplane crashed in snow covered mountainous terrain. Snowmobilers, who were in the vicinity of the impact site at the time of the accident, said that snow showers made visibility less than 1/2 sm. A pilot departing Telluride Regional Airport (located 33 nm at 045 degrees from the crash site), on a heading of 300 degrees, at approximately 1015 said that it was clear right over Telluride. He said that as he climbed out, he got into weather at 12,000 feet msl, and didn't break out until 22,000 feet msl. He also said that he experienced no icing or turbulence during his climb out.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.