Cessna 210 N3995Y

Summary

On 30 November 2018 at about 23:05 local time, a Cessna 210 registered N3995Y was involved in an accident near Apalachicola, Florida, 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 November 2018 at 23:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Apalachicola, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Apalachicola Regional (AAF)

Coordinates

29.7636, -85.0225

Aircraft

Cessna 210

Registration

N3995Y

Category

Airplane

Year built

1964

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Apalachicola → Fort Myers

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA19FA059

1 person died.

The pilot's controlled flight into terrain as a result of his spatial disorientation during departure in dark nighttime conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot had departed on the second leg of a cross-country flight just after the end of civil twilight. Another pilot approaching the airport from the west reported seeing the airplane as it departed to the east and communicating with the pilot over the radio. Soon afterward, the other pilot observed a fireball. The wreckage was subsequently found in a remote, unlit marsh about 2 miles north of the airport. The pilot did not make any distress calls over the radio. Examination of the wreckage and accident site indicated a high-energy, near-wings-level impact at a shallow descent angle, which was consistent with controlled flight into terrain. The landing gear was down, and the flaps were up. The wreckage examination revealed no evidence of a preaccident mechanical failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation of the airframe or engine. The accident occurred at the end of civil twilight, and, because of the cloud cover, no moon would have been visible. The lack of external lighting cues as the pilot took off over an area with no lights would have been conducive to the development of spatial disorientation. The pilot likely experienced a vestibular illusion and/or spatial disorientation and allowed the airplane to descend into the marsh under controlled flight. The pilot's diabetes was well controlled and thus not a factor in this accident. Toxicology testing revealed the pilot's use of venlafaxine, an antidepressant. The cognitive impairment associated with depression could have made the pilot more susceptible to spatial disorientation and less able to recognize the situation and respond quickly. However, given the available evidence, the investigation could not determine whether cognitive impairment related to depression contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.