Cessna T210 N64EM

Summary

On 26 August 2020 at about 17:37 local time, a Cessna T210 registered N64EM was involved in an accident near Peyton, Colorado, 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

26 August 2020 at 17:37

Classification

Accident

Location

Peyton, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Meadow Lake (FLY)

Coordinates

38.9203, -104.5581

Aircraft

Cessna T210

Registration

N64EM

Category

Airplane

Year built

1978

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Colorado Springs → Peyton

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20LA365

1 person died.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate airspeed and the exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during the airplane’s turn to final, resulting in an aerodynamic stall.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was returning to the airport in and entered the airplane into the traffic pattern between two airplanes that flew slower. The flight instructor in the leading airplane stated that there was not much separation between the airplanes, and the pilot in the trailing airplane noted that the leading airplane appeared to be significantly slower than the accident airplane. The pilot in the trailing airplane stated that the accident airplane flew an extended downwind leg and that, while the accident airplane was turning final, it overshot the runway, increased its bank, and pitched up slightly. The pilot in the trailing airplane stated the accident pilot made all “proper” radio calls, including for the final turn, without any mention of malfunctions. A witness on the ground saw the airplane’s wings “wiggle”; he estimated the airplane was about 30 to 50 ft above the ground when it nosed down, then stalled, dropped “straight” in, and impacted terrain. He also stated that he did not hear any engine sounds. The trailing pilot’s account of the events was consistent with a video playback of radar data. No preimpact anomalies were found during postaccident examinations of the airframe and engine that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane, and the airplane had sufficient fuel onboard. Thus, it is likely that the pilot entered the traffic pattern behind a slower airplane, and, in an attempt to add more space between his airplane and the one ahead, he reduced the speed and increased airplane pitch to the point where it exceeded critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall as he turned onto the final leg of the traffic pattern.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.