- Date
- January 5, 1991, 20:43 local (Jan 6, 1991, 02:43 UTC)
- Place
- Muskogee, OK
- Injuries
- 6 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N421HCessna 421B
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910106000179A
- Case key
- 23240
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 pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft, due to spatial disorientation. Factors related to the accident were: darkness, adverse weather conditions, and the pilot's physical impairment from the chronic sinus infection.
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
A plt (whose instrument currency could not be dtrmd) took off at ngt in IMC. Shortly after takeoff, the acft crashed abt 1.5 mi fm the dep end of the rwy. There was evidence that it impacted in an 85 deg rgt bank, nose dwn attitude at hi speed. No preimpact part failure was fnd drg the investigation; however, drg a pre-purchase inspn on 10/16/90, svrl discrepancies were noted. These included an inop flt drctr, an autoplt malfunction & a misrigged flt ctl sys that allowed the ctrl wheel to indc a left turn when the acft was in lvl flt. There was no record of these being repaired. Records showed the pitot-static sys was last tested on 3/24/88. The plt was taking sine-aid & tylenol for a chronic sinus infection. Although tox checks indcd the presence of 50.7 ug/ml of pseudoephedrine & 36.4 ug/ml of acetaminophen in the plt's urine, none was found in his blood. The sinus cond could have affected the plt's balance & equilibrium.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N421H
- Reported as
- Cessna 421B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 421B0516
- Airframe hours
- 2,580
- Engine
- Continental GTSIO-520-H2, 375 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Shanks, Ronnie E
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 22, 1990 · 117 hours before
- Departed
- MKO
- Destination
- ABQ · Albuquerque, NM
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MKO · Davis Field, runway 13, 7,200 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,820 total · 684 in this make and model · 1,522 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 10° at 10 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.29 inHg
- Observed at
- TUL, 40 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.