Loss of Control in Flight · NTSB ERA13FA209
CESSNA 210E — Williamsburg, VA
| Date | April 19, 2013 |
| Location | Williamsburg, VA |
| Aircraft | CESSNA 210E |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Uncontrolled descent Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) |
| Pilot age | 54 |
| Pilot total time | 4,633 hrs · High time |
| Time in type | 336 hrs |
| Fatalities | 2 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Tailwind-Response/compensation
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained - C
- Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Decision related to condition
What happened
The pilot departed just ahead of a broken line of thunderstorms and rain showers to the west of his flight path and flew south to his destination airport without incident. The pilot reported on the common traffic advisory frequency that he was turning from the airport pattern base leg to final approach. According to witnesses, the airplane passed beyond the extended runway centerline of runway 13, entered a steep right turn toward runway 13, pitched down, and descended at a steep angle behind a tree line. The airplane impacted trees and terrain about ½ mile from the approach end of the runway. The wind at the time of the accident was reported to be from 180 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 28 knots. In addition, the area around the accident site was included in an airmen's meteorological information advisory for moderate turbulence and low-level wind shear. Postcrash examination of the airframe and engine revealed no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.