Cessna 210E N4962U
27 April 2014 · Richmond, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 27 April 2014 at about 23:06 local time, a Cessna 210E registered N4962U, operated by Sanders Aircraft Inc, was involved in an accident near Richmond, California, United States. 3 people were 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.
The record
- Date
- at 23:06
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Richmond, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Eagles Nest (CA20)
- Coordinates
- 37.9842, -122.4142
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210E
- Registration
- N4962U
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1965
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Sanders Aircraft Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Half Moon Bay → Ione
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR14FA174
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
Both pilots’ failure to maintain adequate clearance from each other during cruise flight while in visual contact with each other. Contributing to the accident was the unexpected abrupt maneuver made by the pilot.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The Sea Fury pilot and the Cessna pilot had flown their airplanes to a nearby airport to display them at an open house. The two pilots then briefed the return flights with each other and determined their flight routes. The Sea Fury departed, flew over the airport, and rendezvoused with another airplane for a photo shoot. They flew several 360-degree patterns, and the Sea Fury pilot observed the Cessna during one of his turns, and noted that it was on the briefed course. He completed the photo work and set his course for the return to their home airport. The Sea Fury pilot made radio contact with the Cessna pilot on a common, briefed frequency, and the Cessna pilot responded with his position. The Sea Fury pilot made visual contact with the Cessna forward and to the left, and the Cessna pilot responded that he had visual contact of the Sea Fury. The Cessna's airspeed was about 150 knots, and the Sea Fury's airspeed was about 200 knots. Approaching from well behind, the Sea Fury pilot advised the Cessna pilot that the Sea Fury was low and to the left. The Cessna pilot acknowledged visual contact again and broadcast that he wanted to take a picture. The Sea Fury pilot replied that there would probably not be time due to the speed differential. The Sea Fury pilot observed the trajectory and flight profile of the Cessna abruptly change to a left roll so that he could see the top of the Cessna's wing. The Sea Fury pilot attempted to avoid the Cessna by pitching his airplane nose down; however, he felt and heard a thump and realized that the two airplanes had collided. He pulled up and looked over his shoulder; he observed the Cessna inverted and going down. He squawked code 7700 on the transponder, and, due to communications issues, reported the midair collision and position of the Cessna to air traffic control via relay by another aircraft pilot. The Sea Fury pilot initiated a climb, and conducted a controllability check; he determined that he could control the airplane in the current configuration. He continued to his home airport and made a successful full-stop landing. The Sea Fury pilot stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Examination of the Sea Fury and the recovered portions of the Cessna did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplanes. The last couple of minutes of data points from a GPS unit in the Cessna indicated a northeasterly track at GPS-derived groundspeeds of about 150 knots. The last few data points indicated that the airplane began to descend with varied groundspeeds, and the final data point was 212 knots at 854 ft. A review of recorded radar data showed two targets with one target approaching from behind and low. As the targets merged, the data points could not be attributed to either airplane because they were within the accuracy limits of the transmitting/recording systems.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna 210E | N4962U | Sanders Aircraft Inc | Destroyed |
| Hawker SEA FURY TMK 20 | N20SF | Sanders Aircraft Inc | Substantial |
Other Cessna 210 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov 2014 | Cessna 210B | Bullhead City, Arizona, United States | Tristate Careflight LLC | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jan 2014 | Cessna 210E | Oden, Arkansas, United States | State of Arkansas Forestry Commission | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Feb 2014 | Cessna 210L | Clay, Alabama, United States | Southern Seaplane Inc | Fatal | 2 |
| 24 Oct 2014 | Cessna 210 | Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Feb 2014 | Cessna 210N | Palmas, Brazil | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 22 Jun 2014 | Cessna 210A | Port Angeles, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 2,022 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 Oct 2014 | Scaled Composites 339 | Koehn Dry Lake, California, United States | Scaled Composites LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 7 Jun 2014 | Cessna 180H | Hesperia, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Sep 2014 | Eurocopter AS 350 B3 | Lincoln, California, United States | California Highway Patrol | No injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 2014 | McDonnell Douglas 600N | Adelanto, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 2014 | Air Tractor AT 502B | Princeton, California, United States | Michaud Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 8 Nov 2014 | Cessna 140A | Gilroy, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |