Cessna 210D N3894Y

Summary

On 26 July 2000 at about 04:28 local time, a Cessna 210D registered N3894Y was involved in an accident near Ashland, Virginia, 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

26 July 2000 at 04:28

Classification

Accident

Location

Ashland, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

37.7600, -77.4702

Aircraft

Cessna 210D

Registration

N3894Y

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Linden

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

NYC00FA209

1 person died.

The failure of the pilot to maintain control of the airplane due to spatial disorientation. Factors were the dark night, low ceiling and fog.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot departed at night, on an instrument flight plan, in a GPS-equipped airplane. The weather conditions included low ceilings and fog. The clearance he received prior to departure differed from his filed route, and once airborne, he received a further revision. The airplane continued to climb, but the pilot did not follow the revised clearance. Twice, the radio was keyed, with no voice transmission heard. Radar data indicated that the airplane climbed to 4,300 feet, and then entered a steep, descending right turn. Several witnesses heard the airplane descending at high power. One witness saw the lights illuminated on the airplane prior to ground impact. No evidence of a pre-existing failure was found with the engine or airframe. The pilot's total flight experience was about 300 hours, with 50 hours in the accident airplane. His recency of instrument experience and night flight was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.