Summary
On September 8, 2019, at 0630 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 210A, registration N9436X, was destroyed when it impacted the Gulf of Mexico. The commercial pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The personal flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
Flight History
The pilot had filed an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan to Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV), Savannah, Georgia, but had not contacted air traffic control to receive an IFR clearance before departure from The Florida Keys Marathon International Airport (MTH), Marathon, Florida. ADS-B track data showed the airplane departed runway 25 at 0629 and made a right climbing turn. It reached an indicated altitude of 425 ft mean sea level about 90° through the turn, then descended and impacted the water. Groundspeed increased from about 70 knots at liftoff to 100 knots at the turn's apex, then to 146 knots at the end of data. Airport surveillance video depicted the takeoff, initial climb, and turn toward an area of dark open water under a scattered cloud layer.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and instrument airplane. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued on February 10, 2018. At that time, he reported 1,500 total flight hours. His logbook was not recovered, so total and recent instrument experience could not be determined.
Meteorological Information
Recorded weather at MTH at 0653 included visibility 10 miles and scattered clouds at 2,800 ft. Civil twilight began at 0645 and sunrise at 0708, per U.S. Naval Observatory data.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was recovered from water to a storage facility. Both wings and the engine separated on impact. The right wing showed more damage than the left. The right flap separated with its actuator retracted; the left flap remained attached, partially extended, and damaged. The right aileron separated with only small pieces recovered; the left aileron remained partially attached to a separated wing section. Both wingtips separated and were not recovered. The right horizontal stabilizer and elevator had leading edge damage and outboard separation; the left horizontal stabilizer and elevator were less damaged. The vertical stabilizer and rudder were undamaged. Landing gear was retracted. Control continuity was confirmed from all control surfaces (except right aileron) through cable breaks at the fuselage to cockpit controls; breaks exhibited broomstraw features consistent with overload separation. Right aileron cable also showed overload separation. Elevator trim jackscrew measured approximately neutral. The cockpit was crushed and separated; seats were not recovered. Fuel selector valve was positioned to the left tank. Attitude and directional gyros were corroded; the directional gyro housing had one rotational score. The vacuum pump was intact. Fuel recovered from the selector valve and manifold was consistent with 100 low lead aviation gasoline. The propeller separated from the crankshaft flange; one blade was twisted, the other bent aft with a leading edge gouge. Spark plugs had intact gray electrodes. Engine continuity was confirmed, and thumb compression was attained on all cylinders. Borescope examination showed no anomalies. Both magnetos produced spark. The engine-driven fuel pump was hand-rotatable and disassembled without anomalies. The oil filter element had no contamination. The fuel metering unit had no anomalies.
Additional Information
The FAA's Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge noted that without visual reference to the horizon, the vestibular system becomes unreliable and can create illusions. The Airplane Flying Handbook described that the vestibular sense cannot accurately detect slight or uniform attitude changes, leading to spatial disorientation. FAA publication "Spatial Disorientation Visual Illusions" stated that false visual references, such as flying over a banked cloud or featureless terrain at night, can cause illusions, and advised reliance on flight instruments. "Medical Facts for Pilots" described the graveyard spiral illusion: after a prolonged bank turn, attempting to level wings may produce a sensation of opposite turn, leading the pilot to re-enter the original turn while losing altitude.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy by the Florida Medical Examiner's Office determined the pilot's cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicology testing found 0.059 gm/hg ethanol in muscle but none in brain tissue, consistent with postmortem production. The pilot's FAA medical file dated to 1978. He had a SODA for uncorrected distant vision in 1985 and reported bilateral cataract surgery in 2002. At his September 2016 examination, uncorrected vision was 20/50 bilaterally, correctable to 20/20. At his February 2018 examination, the aviation medical examiner noted an abnormal field of vision and corrected vision of 20/100 in the right eye. The FAA granted a special issuance for glaucoma requiring annual renewal. His ophthalmologist reported chronic macular edema in the right eye due to retinal vein obstruction and normal tension glaucoma in both eyes. The FAA issued a SODA for right visual field defects on September 25, 2018.