- Date
- January 4, 1992, 16:06 local (23:06 UTC)
- Place
- Steamboat Spgs, CO
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 4 serious, 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1974GCessna 421B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920104000139A
- Case key
- 18144
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Airframe ice and the pilot's failure to remove it. Factors were: aircraft weight exceeded and lack of pilot certification.
Analysis
While initiating a cross country flight, the eight place aircraft with nine persons aboard, impacted terrain shortly after takeoff. Ice had been seen on the wings and horizontal stabilizer, and icing conditions were present. The aircraft was over maximum gross weight by a minimum of 258 pounds, and the pilot held an expired student pilot certificate dated August 17, 1984. A copy of a private pilot certificate designating multiengine land and instrument was found in the pilot's personal belongings. FAA officials concluded that it was not a valid certificate. An application for a medical certificate dated may 30, 1991, indicated the pilot had 4,000 hours of flight time. This figure could not be verified. Just prior to takeoff the pilot was observed brushing snow off the wings. Following the accident granular ice was found on the aerodynamic surfaces.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1974G
- Reported as
- Cessna 421B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 421B0862
- Airframe hours
- 2,916
- Engine
- Continental GTSIO-520-H, 375 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Cebco Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Cebco Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 5, 1991 · 7 hours before
- Destination
- ANE · Minneapolis, MN
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SBS · Bob Adams, runway 32, 4,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 33
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 50 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 800 ft
- Temperature
- 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SBS, 1 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.