Cessna 421B accident near Cullman, Alabama, March 6, 1984
On March 6, 1984, a Cessna 421B, registered N3291Q, was destroyed in an accident near Cullman, Alabama (Folsom Field). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 1984
- Place
- Cullman, Alabama · Folsom Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421B · all 421Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3291Q · registry record · serial 421B0911
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT CLEARED FOR NIGHT NDB RWY 19 APCH TO FOLWOM FIELD. ERRATIC RADAR TRACK DRG PROCEDURE TURN AND INBD INTERCEPT. WITNESSES DESCRIBED 200 FT CEILING AND REDUCED VIS IN FOG AT AIRPORT. OTHER WITNESSES OBSERVED ACFT ON NORTHBOUND COURSE,FOLLOWED BY TURN TO WEST AT ROOFTOP HEIGHT,WELL BELOW MDA,AT A POINT ONE MILE NORTHEAST OF ARPT. ENG OPERATION SOUNDED NORMAL. ACFT CONTACTED TREES AT ABOUT AIRPORT ELEVATION,1 MILE NORTH OF AIRPORT. WRECKAGE PRODUCED 632 FT PATH. SEVERED LIMBS,PROP DMG AND ENG EXAMINATION REVEALED EVIDENCE OF POWER AT IMPACT. 62 YEAR OLD PILOT HAD NOT FLOWN WITH CFI IN YEARS, INSTRUMENT CURRENCY UNKNOWN. PLT FND TO HAVE SEVERE CORONARY ATHEROSCLEROSIS WITH NEAR TOTAL OCCLUSION OF RT CORONARY ARTERY AND EVIDENCE OF PAST TOTAL OCCLUSION OF LEFT CIRCUMFLEX CORONARY ARTERY. CEILING LOWER THAN FCST FOR AREA. FLT PURPOSE TO CARRY EMPLOYEES TO MEET TRUCK,GO JOB SITE. LIMITATION ON PLT MEDICAL CERTIFICATE,NOT FOR NIGHT FLIGHT. SUNSET AT 1745 CST, 51 MINUTES BEFORE ACCIDENT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,423 hours in all; 1,599 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,478 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 6, 1983; 429 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Cont GTSI0-520-H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MGM Montgomery AL at 11:43 pm
- Destination: 3A1 Cullman AL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 19, 5,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 360° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:49 pm from HSV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.