Cessna 210F N1842F

Summary

On 21 May 2015 at about 15:57 local time, a Cessna 210F registered N1842F, operated by Morse Andrew A, was involved in an accident near Pleasanton, California, 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

21 May 2015 at 15:57

Classification

Accident

Location

Pleasanton, California, United States

Coordinates

37.6814, -121.9847

Aircraft

Cessna 210F

Registration

N1842F

Category

Airplane

Year built

1966

Engines

1

Operator

Morse Andrew A

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Concord → San Jose

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15FA166

1 person died.

The pilot’s continued visual flight into instrument flight rules conditions, which resulted in his failure to maintain sufficient clearance from rising terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Before beginning the cross-county flight under visual flight rules (VFR), the pilot received a weather briefing that reported VFR conditions at the departure and destination airports but included an airmen's meteorological information notice for instrument flight rules (IFR) conditions along the route of flight. About 8 minutes after departure, recorded radar data showed the airplane's altitude varying between 321 and 635 ft above ground level (agl) for about 1.5 minutes before the impact. Until about 30 seconds before impact, the airplane was tracking south on course along a valley, but it then began to deviate west toward rising terrain. The airplane then began a slow, descending right turn. The last recorded radar target showed the airplane about 0.2 miles from the accident site, at an altitude of about 410 ft agl. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A review of weather observations and satellite imagery indicated that IFR conditions prevailed in the vicinity of the accident site due to low clouds and restricted visibility. It is likely that the pilot was varying his altitude to remain clear of the clouds and subsequently entered an area where continued flight on course was not possible and initiated a right turn. During the turn, the airplane collided with rising terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.