Cessna 421C accident near Sitka, AK
On July 4, 2003, a Cessna 421C (airplane) was involved in an accident near Sitka, AK. 5 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 4, 2003
- Place
- Sitka, AK
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · Airplane
- Injuries
- 5 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 57.098°N, 135.369°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030714X01089
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 3, 2003, about 1600 Alaska daylight time, a Cessna 421C airplane, N777DX, was destroyed when it collided with terrain about 3 miles north of Sitka, Alaska, during an instrument approach to the Sitka Airport. The airplane was operated by the pilot as an instrument flight rules (IFR) personal cross country flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, at the time of the accident. The pilot and the four passengers were fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight plan was filed. The flight departed Prince Rupert, British Columbia, en route to Anchorage, Alaska, about 1512. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), on July 3, a specialist at the Sitka FAA Flight Service Station (FSS), said the pilot of the accident airplane reported to air traffic control (ATC) at Anchorage Center, that a forward baggage door on the right side of the airplane's nose had come open, and he was concerned baggage could be ejected into the right engine. He requested to divert to the nearest airport for landing to secure the door. The airplane was diverted to Sitka, and was cleared for the GPS runway 11 instrument approach. The approach is principally a straight-in, nonprecision instrument approach, which necessitated the airplane flying past the airport, intercepting the instrument approach course, and approaching the airport from the northwest. The pilot contacted the Sitka, FAA Flight Service Station (FSS), and reported the airplane inbound on the approach. When the
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to follow IFR procedures by not following the published approach procedures, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain. Factors contributing to the accident were a low ceiling, and the pressure induced by conditions/events (the open baggage door).
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Browse: Alaska · 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.
