History of Flight
On October 24, 2014, about 1445 central daylight time, a Cessna T210 airplane, registration N761SU, impacted terrain near Bay City, Wisconsin. The airplane was destroyed and the private rated pilot was fatally injured. Operated by a private individual under Part 91 as a personal flight, the airplane departed Kings Land O' Lakes Airport (KLNL), Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin, about 1315, en route to Hartington Municipal Airport / Bud Becker Field (0B4), Hartington, Nebraska. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.
When family members reported the airplane overdue, an Alert Notice (ALNOT) was issued. The wreckage was located in a field about three miles east of Red Wing Regional Airport (KRGK).
Two witnesses provided observations. One, about five miles south, saw the airplane for about five seconds in a 90-degree bank, not maneuvering, with low overcast and about three miles visibility. Another, fishing on the river between 1400 and 1530, heard a high-pitched engine sound, saw the airplane bank and head toward Bay City; it was below the bluff then disappeared. He noted a breeze with periodic drizzle.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single land rating; no record of an instrument rating existed. A third class special medical certificate was issued October 16, 2013, with the restriction to wear corrective lenses for near or distant vision. The pilot reported 156 total flight hours with 125 in the last six months at the medical application. A logbook found in the wreckage showed the last entry on October 8, 2014, with 206.9 total hours and 86 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna T210 is a high-wing, single-engine airplane with retractable landing gear, powered by a six-cylinder Continental TSIO-520 reciprocating engine and a constant-speed propeller. Maintenance records indicated the last annual inspection was completed June 18, 2014, at a tachometer time of 1204.2 hours, with 417 hours total time on the engine.
Meteorological Information
At 1511, the automated weather observation at Red Wing Regional Airport recorded wind from 200 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 5 miles in mist, overcast ceiling 900 feet, temperature 59°F, dew point 55°F, altimeter 29.84 inches of mercury.
Synoptic conditions showed a high pressure system southeast over Indiana and a cold front over northern Minnesota into South Dakota. Southerly winds were expected at about 10 knots or less. Station models indicated overcast clouds from northern Missouri into Iowa and southern Minnesota and Wisconsin with restricted visibility in mist. The NWS Weather Depiction Chart for 1400 showed IFR conditions over southern Minnesota, Iowa, and portions of Wisconsin, with MVFR conditions surrounding the area. Satellite imagery at 1430 depicted low stratiform clouds over the accident site. Soundings indicated a stable atmosphere with light winds below 1,000 feet and increasing above. The NWS forecast (TAF) for Rochester International Airport expected IFR conditions at the accident time. Area forecasts initially predicted broken to overcast clouds at 2,500 feet MSL with visibility 3 to 4 miles in mist, later amended to continue overcast conditions. AIRMET Sierra advised IFR conditions due to low stratiform clouds and mist through 2200. No SIGMETs or Convective SIGMETs were issued. No record existed of the pilot receiving a weather briefing.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane's left wing impacted open corn field. A large crater marked the initial impact, followed by debris fragments, then standing corn stalks. Both wings fragmented and separated; the main cabin was severely crushed; the empennage twisted from the fuselage but remained attached by cables. The engine separated and was found about 290 feet from the main crater. The three-bladed propeller separated from the engine and hub; one blade in the main crater, one 30 feet away, and the third 100 feet to the right. No post-crash fire occurred.
Control continuity for elevators and rudder was established. The flap actuator was extended, indicating flaps retracted. Landing gear position before impact was not determined. The engine sustained extensive impact damage; crankshaft propeller flange fractured with 45-degree shear lips. Internal continuity was established except for cylinder number six, missing a portion of its head. One magneto produced spark. Spark plugs showed normal wear. Fuel pump rotated freely, vanes intact. Oil pump showed no anomalies. No pre-impact abnormalities were found in the airframe or engine examinations.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Office of the Medical Examiner, St. Paul, Minnesota, performed an autopsy. The cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries. Toxicological testing at the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory detected ethanol (20 mg/dL) in muscle, likely not from ingestion; doxylamine in liver; and glyburide (a type 2 diabetes medication, previously reported to the FAA) in liver and muscle.
Test and Research
The engine monitor was successfully downloaded; no abnormalities were noted for the accident flight.