History of Flight
On February 14, 2014, about 2221 Central Standard Time, a Cessna 210L, registration N732EJ, crashed in a heavily wooded area near Clay, Alabama. The commercial pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was destroyed. The flight was operated by Southern Seaplane, Inc. under 14 CFR Part 135 as a non-scheduled domestic cargo flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and the pilot had obtained an instrument flight rules clearance. The flight departed Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evars International Airport (JAN) at 2106 CST, destined for Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM).
Earlier that day, the pilot was contacted by an individual from Mississippi Organ Recovery Agency to transport specimens from Stennis International Airport (HSA) to BHM and then to JAN. The pilot discussed the trip with the company Director of Operations (DO), who agreed to let the pilot bring his wife along. The pilot checked weather and decided to fly to JAN first. The flight departed Southern Seaplane Airport (65LA) on a positioning flight between 1730 and 1736 CST, landed at HSA about 1804, and departed HSA about 1835. The flight landed at Magee Municipal Airport (17M) to wait out storms, departing between 2008 and 2010. The pilot then flew to JAN, landing about 2050. After offloading specimens, the pilot departed JAN at 2106 for BHM.
Air traffic control communications indicate the pilot requested VFR flight following initially, then later requested an IFR clearance for an ILS approach to runway 24 at BHM. Radar data show the flight proceeded northeast, then turned and descended. At 2220:54, the airplane was lost from radar at 2,400 feet msl. A witness reported hearing a sputtering engine sound, and another witness reported a thump. The wreckage was found the following day.
Pilot Information
The pilot, age 44, held a commercial pilot certificate with single-engine land, multi-engine land, and instrument ratings, as well as a flight instructor certificate. He held a second-class medical certificate issued May 3, 2013, with no limitations. According to company records, he was qualified to fly only under visual flight rules (VFR) and had not completed an instrument proficiency check under Part 135. His last instrument proficiency check (IPC) under Part 61 was on October 27, 2013. On the accident date, he had been on duty for about 16 hours. He had not flown revenue trips since January 17, 2014.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 210L, serial number 21061454, was manufactured in 1976. It was powered by a 285-horsepower Continental IO-520-L engine and equipped with a Hartzell constant-speed propeller. The airplane had a Genesys-Aerosystems System 50 two-axis autopilot installed. Flight instruments included an electric turn coordinator, vacuum-driven attitude indicator and directional gyro, and pitot-static instruments. The airplane also had a Precise Flight Standby Vacuum System (SVS) III, later modified to model V. Maintenance records showed no entry for the required biennial inspection of the shuttle valve since installation in 2007.
Accident Site and Witnesses
The accident occurred during night conditions. One witness about 0.8 nautical mile north of the flight path reported hearing the engine sputtering and cutting off, then restarting. Another witness less than 0.5 nautical mile north of the site heard a low-flying airplane and then a thump. No explosion was heard. The wreckage was located the next day by helicopter.
Additional Information
The flight was a cargo flight transporting medical specimens. The pilot had spoken with a certified flight instructor friend earlier that evening about weather concerns. The company DO reported the pilot did not contact him after landing at JAN as instructed.