Departure and Initial Contact
The aircraft, identified as a Cessna 210 with registration CGMYL, departed Washington Dulles International Airport at 1630 Eastern Standard Time. No flight plan was filed. The next radio contact occurred when Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station Approach Control transmitted the altimeter setting, which the pilot acknowledged.
Vector to Hilton Head
Approximately seven minutes later, the pilot requested and received vectors to Hilton Head Airport. At 1947, the controller advised the pilot that his gyro might be approximately 30 degrees off and provided a revised heading.
Final Transmission
About two minutes after the gyro warning, the controller transmitted, "Mike Yankee Lima, turn right now, heading two five zero." The pilot's acknowledgment of this instruction was the last communication received from CGMYL.
Search and Wreckage
A search ensued, but no major pieces of wreckage were recovered. A plot of the aircraft's flight path revealed that its heading changed back and forth five times in the last two minutes of recorded flight. Three pieces of wreckage later washed ashore, all identified as belonging to a Cessna 210.