History of Flight
On March 10, 2008, at approximately 2023 central daylight time, a Cessna T210M, N732RR, collided with terrain near Abbeville, Louisiana, destroying the aircraft. The instrument-rated commercial pilot and a passenger were fatally injured. The flight was operated by Gulf States Financial Services Incorporated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a 48-nautical mile personal trip from Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) to Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT), departing BTR around 1948. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight plan was filed.
The pilot had earlier transported two passengers to Mississippi for a business meeting. After the meeting, he flew one passenger to BTR and continued to LFT for the final landing.
Air traffic control initially vectored the airplane for a visual approach to runway 29, but the pilot did not acquire the runway visually and subsequently accepted an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to runway 04R. The pilot's last radio transmission acknowledged a heading of 335 degrees. Radar showed the airplane turning through that heading in a clockwise turn, with no response to subsequent ATC instructions. The final radar plot at 2023 indicated a heading of 046 degrees, an altitude of 1,600 feet, and a ground speed of 207 knots. Local law enforcement responded after a 911 call; wreckage was found near a house and a sugar cane field.
Personnel Information
The 60-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument airplane ratings, as well as a flight instructor certificate with corresponding ratings. An instrument proficiency check in accordance with 14 CFR 61.57(d) was completed on June 20, 2007. A second-class medical certificate was issued on March 1, 2007, at which time the pilot reported 11,800 total flight hours, with 130 hours in the previous six months.
Aircraft Information
The six-seat, retractable-gear Cessna T210M (serial number 21061718) was manufactured in 1977. It was powered by a single turbocharged Teledyne Continental Motors TSIO-520-R engine (310 hp) driving a three-bladed McCauley propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed on September 10, 2007, at a tachometer reading of 1,826.4 hours and an airframe time of 4,286.9 hours. A factory remanufactured engine was installed during that inspection.
Meteorological Information
A TAF issued at 1226 for LFT from 1300 on March 10 to 1300 on March 11 forecast winds from 080 degrees at 8 knots, visibility greater than 6 miles, light rain showers, thunderstorms in the vicinity, and an overcast ceiling at 2,500 feet with cumulonimbus clouds. Temporary conditions between 1800 and 2300 included visibility of 2 miles, rain, mist, and overcast at 2,500 feet. A later TAF at 1821, valid from 1900 on March 10 to 1900 on March 11, forecast from 2000 winds from 360 degrees at 8 knots, visibility greater than 6 miles, rain showers, and broken ceilings at 600, 1,500, and 3,000 feet, with temporary conditions including 4 miles visibility, mist, and broken/overcast clouds.
At 2031, an automated weather reporting facility at LFT (about 11 nautical miles northeast of the accident site) reported wind from 330 degrees at 11 knots, visibility 2.5 miles, heavy rain showers, mist, few clouds at 600 feet, broken ceiling at 2,200 feet, overcast at 2,700 feet, temperature and dew point 59/55°F, and barometric pressure 30.20 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was located in a sugar cane field with soft, irrigated soil and raised berms. The initial point of impact was a ground scar consistent with the right wing striking the ground; green lens fragments from the right wingtip navigation light were found at the scar's start. The fuselage impact point measured approximately 6 feet wide, 10 feet long, and 3 feet deep near the field fence line. Wreckage was scattered in a 45-degree wedge, with components found up to 360 feet away. The main wreckage, including a portion of the cabin, empennage, rudder, and horizontal stabilizer, was located on a magnetic heading of 160 degrees, 114 feet from the fuselage impact point. The engine was buried at the fuselage impact point at an approximate depth of 4 feet, angled about 20 degrees nose-down with an undetermined right bank.
Medical and Pathological Information
Forensic toxicology by the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory detected no ethanol in the pilot's muscle. The drug trimethoprim was found, consistent with an antibiotic prescribed on March 4, 2008, for a sinus infection. According to the pilot's spouse, he had been taking the medication for several days with no reported side effects.
Tests and Research
A field examination by the NTSB, FAA, Cessna, and TCM found all major airplane components at the scene. Flight control continuity was established to the ailerons, rudder, and elevator. The flaps were retracted, and the fuel selector was in the left tank position, consistent with the pilot's fuel log. No anomalies that would preclude safe operation were discovered.
Engine continuity was established for cylinders 1 through 4; cylinders 5 and 6 were impact-damaged, preventing continuity checks. Thumb compression was confirmed on all six cylinders. Trace fuel was found in the fuel pump, and no evidence of hard particle passage was seen in the oil system. Two blades had separated from the propeller hub; all three blades showed S-bending, chordwise scratches, and gouging consistent with power at impact. No anomalies that would preclude engine power were found.
The vacuum pump case had impact damage; pieces of the drive coupling showed rotational scoring. The attitude direction indicator (ADI) displayed an approximate level attitude and 25 degrees of right bank; its internal gyro showed rotational scoring. No warning flags were present on the ADI. The horizontal situation indicator (HSI) displayed a heading of approximately 270 degrees and a selected course of about 036 degrees, consistent with the inbound course for the ILS 04R approach. No warning flags were present, but internal components were heavily damaged.
Additional Information
A passenger who deplaned at BTR reported that the pilot appeared cautious and normal, with no health or fatigue concerns mentioned. He recalled a right brake malfunction on an earlier flight that was serviced, and no other malfunctions. The pilot seemed alert when last observed.
A certified flight instructor who conducted the pilot's instrument proficiency check described him as conservative and knowledgeable about instrument procedures. The CFI had flown into LFT near the accident time and recalled heavy rain showers and turbulence, which he categorized as "not severe."
According to the pilot's spouse, the pilot typically went to bed between 2030 and 2130 and worked 12-hour shifts at a hospital. Flight tracking showed the first flight of the day departed LFT at 0754, and the accident occurred around 2023, resulting in a time-on-duty of over 12 hours and 29 minutes. It is unknown when the pilot last ate or rested that day.