Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB DFW08FA080
Cessna T210M — Abbeville, LA
| Date | March 11, 2008 |
| Location | Abbeville, LA |
| Aircraft | Cessna T210M |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Night/Dark · Instrument Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering Loss of control in flight |
| Pilot age | 60 |
| Pilot total time | 11,800 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 130 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Not specified - F
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Turbulence-(general)-Not specified - F
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Rain-Not specified - F
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
What happened
The commercial pilot was being vectored for an instrument approach to his destination airport when the pilot continued a right turn past his assigned heading and began to descend. The pilot did not respond to further instructions, lost control of the airplane and the airplane subsequently impacted terrain. No distress call was transmitted. The airplane, engine and systems were examined. No anomalies were discovered. The vacuum pump coupling drive and the attitude direction indicator gyro both displayed scoring consistent with proper operation at the time of impact. A passenger who had gotten off the airplane before the accident flight stated that the only malfunction he witnessed that day was a problem with the airplane's right brake. The passenger also recalled that the last time he saw the pilot, the pilot appeared to be well and alert. An assessment of the weather and airplane flight path showed that the airplane flew through instrument meteorological conditions to include dark skies, light to moderate rain, and light to moderate turbulence.