Cessna 421B accident near Conchas, NM
On August 31, 1996, a Cessna 421B (airplane) was involved in an accident near Conchas, NM. 3 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- August 31, 1996
- Place
- Conchas, NM
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421B · Airplane
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.291°N, 104.189°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X06517
NTSB summary
On August 30, 1996, at 1830 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 421B, N55HU, was destroyed during an encounter with hail and the subsequent uncontrolled landing near Conchas, New Mexico. The instrument rated private pilot and two passengers were seriously injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Kiowa Service Inc., under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross country flight that originated from Albuquerque International Airport, Albuquerque, New Mexico, approximately 54 minutes before the accident. An IFR flight plan had been filed with the destination of Alva Municipal Airport, Alva, Oklahoma. According to FAA Flight Service Station (FSS) recordings, the pilot called for the weather and to file a flight plan on his cell phone. The pilot was surprised to discover that he had called McAlester FSS in Oklahoma and not the nearby FSS in Albuquerque, New Mexico, because of the preprogramming of his cell phone. At 1615, McAlester FSS briefed the pilot that there was thunderstorm activity, building in intensity, extending from Raton, New Mexico, to Garden City, Kansas, with some scattered activity in the Oklahoma pan-handle. The briefer further reported that the thunderstorm activity was moving east, southeast, with winds at 18,000 feet to 24,000 feet generally from 320 degrees at 25 knots. No SIGMETs were in effect for the route of flight at this time. The pilot then filed an IFR flight plan with McAlester FSS for the 2.5 hour flight at 19,000 feet and an airspeed of 180 knots. According to Albuquerque ARTCC Center recordings, t
Probable cause
The pilot's inadvertent flight into hail which shattered the pilot's windshield and resulted in his incapacitation due to hypoxia.
More accidents in NM
- Gates Learjet 25D, Sep 5, 1993
- Piper PA-32-300, Dec 26, 1982
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-30, Jun 25, 1992
- Cessna 421C, Feb 11, 1985
- Beech 58, Mar 26, 1982
Browse: New Mexico · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
