Cessna 421B accident near Aspen, Colorado, December 23, 1983
On December 23, 1983 at about 4:12 pm local time, a Cessna 421B, registered N768T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Aspen, Colorado (Aspen airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- December 23, 1983 · about 4:12 pm local time
- Place
- Aspen, Colorado · Aspen · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421B · all 421Bs on the register
- Registration
- N768T · registry record · serial 421B0935
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE SNOW TO THE SIDE AND SHORT OF THE RWY DURING THE APPROACH TO LAND. THE PLT SAID THE ACFT WAS BLOWN OFF LINE AND HIS VISION WAS OBSCURED BY BLOWING SNOW. THE ACFT HIT REIL LIGHTS AND STOPPED 760 FT SHORT OF THE APPROACH END OF THE RWY. THE WEATHER WAS 3000 FT SCATTERED, ESTIMATED 4000 FT OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 6 MILES IN LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS, WIND FROM 310 DEGREES AT 15 KTS. 30 MINUTES LATER WAS INDEFINITE CEILING 100 FT OBSCURED VISILBITY 2 MILES IN BLOWING SNOW AND FOG, WIND FROM 330 DEGREES AT 15 KTS.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,938 hours in all; 820 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 5,586 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,137 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 1, 1983; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-H1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SKX Taos NM at 7:36 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 15, 7,003 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:12 pm from ASE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.