- Date
- December 1, 1985, 17:32 local (Dec 2, 1985, 00:32 UTC)
- Place
- Franktown, CO
- Injuries
- 4 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N249JMCessna 421B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851201058519A
- Case key
- 16795
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft departed nashville, TN, for a flt to aspen, CO. The plts made one refueling stop at chanute, KS. The plts were unable to land at aspen or a nearby alternate arpt (eagle, CO) and elected to return back to the denver area. The plts indicated to an ARTCC controller that they were low fuel. Before they could reach an arpt the plt told the controller they had eng failure and thought they had run out of fuel. During the emergency descent the acft struck an electrical power pole, power lines and then the ground. Inspection of the acft revealed 2 to 3 gallons of fuel remaining in each main fuel tank.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N249JM
- Reported as
- Cessna 421B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 421B80124
- Airframe hours
- 6,035
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520-H, 375 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Thomas J. Mccarthney
- Registered owner
- J & M Partners, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 26, 1985 · 87 hours before
- Departed
- CNU · Chanute, KS
- Destination
- ASE · Aspen, CO
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 64
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,200 total · 3 in this make and model · 7,900 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 50° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 1 °F, dew point 1 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- APA, 135 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.