Cessna 421C accident near Mammoth Lakes, California, January 5, 1992
On January 5, 1992 at about 2:55 am local time, a Cessna 421C, registered N2654M, was destroyed in an accident near Mammoth Lakes, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO PLAN AND CONDUCT HIS DEPARTURE FLIGHT TO AVOID HIGH MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, DURING WHICH THE PILOT BECAME LOST/DISORIENTED. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS SELF INDUCED PRESSURE TO DEPART BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF A SNOW STORM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 5, 1992 · about 2:55 am local time
- Place
- Mammoth Lakes, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed and 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C · all 421Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2654M · no longer on the register · serial 421C0691
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DUE TO THE IMPENDING ARRIVAL OF A SNOW STORM, THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT AND 5 PASSENGERS DEPARTED ONE DAY EARLIER THAN PLANNED, FROM AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT LOCATED IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN TO BEGIN A NIGHT, CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, THE PILOT WAS GIVEN AN IFR CLEARANCE VOID TIME FROM AN ARTCC. THE PILOT WAS CLIMBING TOWARD A VOR LOCATED ABOUT 27 MILES SOUTHEAST OF THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT THE ARTCC TO OPEN HIS INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN TERRAIN CLEARANCE, AND BECAME LOST/DISORIENTED. THE AIRPLANE STRUCK TREES AND SNOW COVERED TERRAIN AT 10,200 FEET MSL, 7 NAUTICAL MILES AND ABOUT 22 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT OF THE INTENDED COURSE.
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
- Flight time: 1,250 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,230 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,200 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1991; 195 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: POC La Verne CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 | 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.