# Accident 20030216001879A: Cessna 421, Ferguson, KY, February 16, 2003

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 16, 2003, 20:03 local time
- Place: Ferguson, KY
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.0731° N, 84.5842° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.0731&lon=-84.5842&mi=10
- Aircraft: N421TJ, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N421TJ-2010-11-09) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna 421 (registry code 2076010, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-421) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental GTSIO-520-C (registry code 17035, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-gtsio-520-c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 421
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 3
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD03FA032](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD03FA032) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030216001879A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON 2-16-03, AT APPROXIMATELY 2000 LOCAL TIME, N421TJ CRASHED INTO A WOODED RIDGE WHILE CONDUCTING A GPS RWY 22 INSTRUMENT APPROACH TO SOMERSET, KY (KSME). THE WEATHER AT SOMERSET WAS APPROXIMATELY 700 OVERCAST WITH 6-7 MILES VISIBILITY. NO COMMUNICATION WAS RECEIVED BY ATC OF ANY PROBLEMS. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED 2.3 MILES FROM THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD.

## 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 IAD03FA032](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD03FA032), Feb 17, 2003: Cessna 421 (N421TJ), Ferguson, KY, destroyed, 3 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to follow the instrument approach procedure, which resulted in an early descent into trees and terrain. Factors included the low ceiling and the night lighting conditions.

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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