Cessna 421 accident near Ferguson, Kentucky, February 17, 2003
On February 17, 2003 at about 1:02 am local time, a Cessna 421, registered N421TJ, was destroyed in an accident near Ferguson, Kentucky (Somerset-Pulaski County airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed and 4 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to follow the instrument approach procedure, which resulted in an early descent into trees and terrain. Factors included the low ceiling and the night lighting conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 2003 · about 1:02 am local time
- Place
- Ferguson, Kentucky · Somerset-Pulaski County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed and 4 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421 · all 421s on the register
- Registration
- N421TJ · no longer on the register · serial 421-0051
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane joined the inbound course for the GPS instrument approach between the intermediate approach fix and the final approach fix, and maintained an altitude about 200 feet below the sector minimum. The last radar return revealed the airplane to be about 3/4 nautical miles beyond the final approach fix, approximately 1,000 feet left of course centerline. An initial tree strike was found about 1 nautical mile before the missed approach point, about 700 feet left of course centerline, at an elevation about 480 feet below the minimum decent altitude. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane flying at a "very low altitude" just prior to its impact with hilly terrain, and also described the sound of the airplane's engines as "really loud" and "a constant roar." Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. There was no evidence of mechanical malfunction.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,732 hours in all; 518 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 29, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,129 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2002; 210 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,800 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental GTSIO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental GTSIO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 05C Griffith-Merril IN at 11:30 pm
- Destination: SME Somerset KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 5,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 4 |
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.