Cessna P210N N734VM

Summary

On 30 October 2001 at about 23:13 local time, a Cessna P210N registered N734VM was involved in an accident near Mt. Charleston, Nevada, 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

30 October 2001 at 23:13

Classification

Accident

Location

Mt. Charleston, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

36.3628, -115.6111

Aircraft

Cessna P210N

Registration

N734VM

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Flagstaff → Reno

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX02FA018

1 person died.

the pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed after continuing flight into forecast adverse meteorological conditions consisting of turbulence, icing, and downdrafts, which resulted in a stall/spin.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot lost control of his airplane while cruising at 16,000 feet in instrument meteorological conditions. The airplane entered a spin and impacted the ground at 7,100 feet mean sea level. An examination of the airplane wreckage did not reveal any evidence of preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions. About 1 hour prior to departure the pilot had received a weather briefing. The briefer advised the pilot that there was an AIRMET along his proposed route of flight. The AIRMET forecast was for occasional moderate turbulence from the surface to 16,000 feet, and indicated occasional moderate icing in clouds and precipitation from the 12,000 foot freezing level up through 24,000 feet. The airplane was not equipped or certificated for flight into known icing conditions. While en route at 16,000 feet, with an average ground speed of 155 knots, the pilot encountered downdrafts. The pilot broadcast to the radar controller that he was "unable to maintain this altitude with this downdraft," requested permission to descend to 15,000 feet, and was cleared to descend. Recorded radar data indicated that the airplane's course changed from northwesterly to southeasterly, and then northeasterly, while its ground speed gradually decreased to 61 knots. The airplane's last recorded radar position was at 8,800 feet, and the airplane impacted into the underlying terrain within a 50-foot radius of this location. About 2 hours thereafter, another pilot reported experiencing severe turbulence while descending from 16,000 to 13,000 feet over the accident site vicinity.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.