History of Flight
On December 27, 2010, at 1436 mountain standard time, a Cessna C-210B airplane, registration N200EP, impacted terrain near Carter Lake, Loveland, Colorado. The airplane sustained substantial damage, and the private pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan in visual meteorological conditions. The flight originated from Boulder Municipal Airport (BDU) at 1323.
Radar data indicated the airplane flew in a random and varied manner near the accident site. Between 1425 and 1434, its radar altitude remained between 8,000 and 9,000 feet MSL. At 1434, the pilot reported on emergency frequency 121.5 MHz that he was losing elevator control. Radar showed the airplane in a right turn at 8,900 feet MSL, continuing to turn right about 110 degrees and maintaining altitude before descending. At 1434:36, it descended from 8,600 to 7,600 feet by 1435:22. The airplane then turned right, left, flew straight and level for about 25 seconds, then descended in a left turn. The last radar return at 1436:09 showed 6,900 feet MSL, with a calculated average descent rate of about 4,800 feet per minute. The pilot repeated he was losing elevator control and was near Carter Lake.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a 1962 Cessna C-210B, serial number 21057856, a high-wing, retractable tricycle gear aircraft configured for four occupants. It was powered by a Teledyne Continental Motors IO-470-S engine; the engine data plate was not found in the wreckage. Annual inspections of the engine, propeller, and airframe were performed on November 1, 2010, at an airframe total time of 3090.8 hours.
Meteorological Information
Weather reported at Greely-Weld County Airport, about 33 miles east of the accident site, at 1455: temperature 16°F, sky clear, visibility 10 miles, wind from 350° at 5 knots.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane struck terrain near the southwest corner of Carter Lake, contacting a 5-foot-tall bush at a nose-down angle of 30 to 40 degrees with wings level. It then impacted a rocky, dry creek bed, separating into multiple pieces as it traveled uphill. The wreckage was in two main areas: the empennage, lower fuselage, and engine together; the wings and upper cabin about 70 feet farther. The debris field was about 200 feet long, 150 feet wide, aligned on a 355° magnetic heading. A post-impact grass fire consumed approximately 2 acres.
The three propeller blades separated from the hub and were within 40 feet of the impact point. Each blade had leading edge gouging; two tips were broken, and one blade exhibited S-type bending. Flight control continuity was established for the elevator, elevator trim tab, and rudder to the cockpit. Aileron cables showed tension overload separation at the cabin door posts; interconnect cables were traced through each wing. No evidence of pre-impact system malfunction was found with the airplane or its flight controls.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on December 28, 2010, by the Larimer County Medical Examiner determined the pilot died from blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was suicide. Toxicological testing detected Citalopram in liver and kidney and N-Desmethylcitalopram (a metabolite) in liver and kidney.