Cessna P210N N6669P

Summary

On 7 January 1998 at about 20:47 local time, a Cessna P210N registered N6669P was involved in an accident near Decatur, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

7 January 1998 at 20:47

Classification

Accident

Location

Decatur, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Decatur Airport (DEC)

Coordinates

39.8302, -89.0500

Aircraft

Cessna P210N

Registration

N6669P

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Wichita

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI98FA080

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane. Contributing factors were low ceiling and freezing drizzle.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot called the Flight Service Station, obtained a weather briefing and filed an IFR flight plan. He was cleared for takeoff and was instructed to make a left turn after takeoff. Radar contact was established and the pilot was instructed to climb and maintain 6,000 feet and to proceed on course. The pilot acknowledged this transmission. Three minutes later the Champaign Approach Controller asked the pilot to verify that Wichita was his destination. The pilot made a transmission of which only the last portion 'six nine papa' was legible. The approach controller noted that the airplane was turning right and not left as instructed. The controller attempted to contact the pilot regarding the turn, but the transmission was not acknowledged and radar contact was lost. One witness reported seeing the airplane '...come out of the clouds heading straight down to a nose dive.' Another witness reported hearing the engine 'wide open'. The airplane impacted the terrain approximately 1 1/4 mile northeast of the airport. Examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.