History of Flight
On May 21, 2015, about 0857 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 210F, registration N1842F, was destroyed when it impacted terrain while maneuvering near Pleasanton, California. The instrument-rated private pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from Buchanan Field Airport (CCR) in Concord, California, at 0848, with an intended destination of Reid-Hillview Airport (RHV) in San Jose, California. The pilot obtained an official weather briefing from Direct User Access Terminal (DUAT) at 0802. When the airplane failed to arrive, a friend contacted the Federal Aviation Administration, which issued an Alert Notification. The Civil Air Patrol and local law enforcement conducted search operations; the wreckage was located on the morning of May 22.
Personnel and Aircraft Information
The pilot, age 66, held a private pilot certificate with an instrument rating and a second-class medical certificate issued April 13, 2014, with the limitation: must wear corrective lenses. His logbook indicated about 1,232.2 total flight hours as of May 13, 2015. The six-seat, single-engine, high-wing, retractable landing gear airplane was manufactured in 1966 (serial number 21058742). It was powered by a Continental Motors IO-520-A engine (serial number 111396-6-A) rated at 285 horsepower, equipped with a McCauley D3A34C402-C three-bladed constant-speed propeller. The most recent annual inspection was completed May 17, 2015, at 3,811.6 total aircraft hours and 721.3 tachometer hours.
Meteorological Information
The National Weather Service Surface Analysis Chart for 0800 showed a surface trough east of the accident site. At Hayward Executive Airport (HWD), an ASOS reported at 0835: wind 290° at 7 knots, 10 miles visibility, broken ceiling 800 feet agl, overcast at 1,300 feet agl. At 0854, HWD reported similar conditions. At Livermore Municipal Airport (LVK), 8 miles east, at 0853: wind 240° at 8 knots, 10 miles visibility, broken ceiling 1,500 feet agl, overcast at 2,000 feet agl. The 0500 sounding from Oakland indicated a moist environment from the surface to 4,000 feet msl in a conditionally unstable environment. Satellite imagery showed abundant cloud cover. AIRMET Sierra, issued at 0745, forecast IFR conditions with ceilings below 1,000 feet agl and visibilities below 3 miles. The area forecast and TAF also indicated low ceilings. The DUAT briefing included the AIRMET and IFR conditions along the route.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The accident site was on a hillside at 1,237 feet msl. The wreckage lay along a 230-foot debris path upsloping at about 9°, oriented 044° magnetic. The first impact point was a ground scar with a green lens fragment and wing structure piece. A propeller slash mark was found 16 feet from the first impact. Debris including Plexiglas, cowling, and engine mount was scattered to the main wreckage at 145 feet, consisting of the engine, right wing, right landing gear, aft fuselage, and empennage. The forward fuselage and cabin were consumed by fire. The left wing was found 165 feet from the first impact. The horizontal stabilizer, elevators, vertical stabilizer, and rudder remained attached. Examination of recovered components revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction.
Additional Information
Archived ATC radar data showed the airplane's altitude varying between 1,100 and 1,225 feet msl from 0849 to 0850. From 0855:16 to 0856:12, altitude varied between 1,625 and 1,774 feet msl. At 0856:17, the airplane turned west and climbed to 1,850 feet msl at 0856:38, then began a slow descent with a right turn. The last radar target was at 0856:54 at about 1,525 feet msl (410 feet agl). An autopsy determined the cause of death as extensive blunt trauma. Toxicology tests detected ethanol in muscle (negative in liver) and atorvastatin in liver. A Garmin GPSMAP 396 recovered from the wreckage contained track log data only from 2009; no data correlating with the accident date was found.