# Accident 19910329007879A: Cessna 421C, Cortez, CO, March 29, 1991

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 29, 1991, 11:25 local time
- Place: Cortez, CO
- Airport: Cortez-Montezuma County
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Missed Approach IFR
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.3504° N, 108.5696° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.3504&lon=-108.5696&mi=10
- Aircraft: N3851C, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N3851C-1992-01-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 421C (registry code 2076016, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-421c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 421C
- Reported engine: CONT GTSIO520L
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 5
- Pilot flight hours: 530 total, 40 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN91FA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN91FA056) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19910329007879A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

OFF COURSE VOR INBOUND,HIT RISING MESA TERRAIN.NO WX BRIEFING.BELOW MINIMUM,LOW TIME IN TYPE AND LOW IFR EXPERIENCE

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DEN91FA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN91FA056), Mar 29, 1991: Cessna 421C (N3851C), Cortez, CO, destroyed, 5 fatal. Probable cause: THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IFR PROCEDURES. FACTORS WERE: THE EXISTING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO OBTAIN A PREFLIGHT BRIEFING.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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