Cessna 421-C accident near Boulder, Colorado, April 1, 1990
On April 1, 1990 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Cessna 421-C, registered N2655V, was destroyed in an accident near Boulder, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A LOSS OF AIRPLANE CONTROL AS A RESULT CONTROL INTERFERENCE BY THE PASSENGER FOLLOWING A STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE PILOT AND THE PASSENGER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 1, 1990 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Boulder, Colorado
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421-C · all 421-Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2655V · no longer on the register · serial 532C0702
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS OBSERVED FLYING ERRATICALLY AT A LOW ALTITUDE, THEN ENTER A LEFT WING, NOSE LOW ATTITUDE, IMPACTING THE GROUND IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. AUTOPSIES ON BOTH OCCUPANTS INCLUDED FINDINGS OF MASSIVE TRAUMATIC INJURIES SUSTAINED DURING A STRUGGLE. THE PASSENGER REPORTEDLY PLANNED TO TAKE HIS LIFE BY JUMPING OUT OF AN AIRPLANE OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF COLORADO BECAUSE HE BELIEVED HE HAD AN INOPERABLE BRAIN TUMOR.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,102 hours in all; 528 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,117 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 4, 1990; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GNB Granby CO at 9:15 pm
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from BJC, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.