Cessna 210 N968CC

Summary

On 5 February 2008 at about 00:45 local time, a Cessna 210 registered N968CC was involved in an accident near Baytown, Texas, 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

5 February 2008 at 00:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Baytown, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.7567, -94.8450

Aircraft

Cessna 210

Registration

N968CC

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New Iberia → Houston

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

DFW08FA061

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control after flying into clouds.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The non-instrument rated private pilot was on a 197-nautical mile cross-country flight. Weather forecast for the route of flight was for marginal weather conditions and visual flight rules (VFR) was not recommended. A review of the airplane's radar track shows the airplane's approach from the east, heading westbound. At about 1830 the airplane initiated a descent from 6,500 feet. Prior to disappearing from radar at 1844, the airplane made a single, descending "S" turn, beginning at an altitude of 2400 feet, and ending at the last radar plot at 1,100 feet. A witness, near the crash site, reported that the weather at the time of the crash was extremely foggy, with visibility less than a tenth of a mile. The accident pilot stated to an air traffic controller that he needed to perform a 180-degree turn, because he was not able to get [down through the weather]. The airplane's ground impact created approximately a 16-foot long, 7-foot wide, and 30-inch deep crater in the ground. The airplane was fragmented, with pieces of the airplane scattered along the wreckage path. Near the start of the wreckage path, several angular cuts were found on tree branches. Additionally, patches of vegetation near the initial impact area displayed signs of fuel contamination. An examination of the airplane failed to identify any pre-impact abnormalities with the aircraft. Analysis of the radar data, the pilot's air traffic control communication and the fragmentation of the airplane is consistent with an in-flight loss of control.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.