Cessna 421C accident near Tajique, NM
On December 4, 2002, a Cessna 421C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Tajique, NM. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- December 4, 2002
- Place
- Tajique, NM
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.754°N, 106.287°W
- NTSB ID
- 20021212X05597
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On December 3, 2002, approximately 2035 mountain standard time, a Cessna 421C twin-engine airplane, N3855C, was destroyed after impacting terrain while maneuvering near Tajique, New Mexico. The commercial pilot, sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was registered to a private individual, and operated by Air Transport Inc., of El Paso, Texas. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 CFR Part 135 on-demand cargo flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight departed from the Alamogordo-White Sands Municipal Airport (ALM), Alamogordo, New Mexico at 1950, and was destined for the Albuquerque International Sunport Airport (ABQ), Albuquerque, New Mexico. In a telephone interview conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge, and in a written statement provided by the company dispatcher on duty the day of the accident, at 1430 the dispatcher advised the pilot of possible icing conditions in the Albuquerque area. He further advised the pilot that he needed to check the weather, and that "if conditions were bad we would be required to use the Lear to do the run." At 1555 the pilot informed the dispatcher that "weather would not be a problem." At 1632, the dispatcher informed the pilot the he would be flying an additional leg, and that "I needed him to check the weather again." At 1633, the dispatcher observed the pilot at the weather station computer and on the telephone. At 1635, he observed the pilot check the weather, and subsequently "the pilot advised me that the weather should still not be a problem. There might be a lit
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance. Factors contributing to the accident were the high mountains, mountain obscuration, the dark night condition, and the pilot's improper in-flight planning/decision making.
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.
