ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 218842
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| Date: | Friday 30 November 2018 |
| Time: | 18:05 |
| Type: |  Cessna 210D Centurion |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N3995Y |
| MSN: | 21058495 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1964 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 4083 hours |
| Engine model: | Continental IO-520A(35) |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | East of the Apalachicola River, Franklin County, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Apalachicola Municipal Airport, FL (AAF/KAAF) |
| Fort Myers-Page Field, FL (FMY/KFMY) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The private pilot had departed on the second leg of a cross-country flight just after the end of civil twilight. Another pilot approaching the airport from the west reported seeing the airplane as it departed to the east and communicating with the pilot over the radio. Soon afterward, the other pilot observed a fireball. The wreckage was subsequently found in a remote, unlit marsh about 2 miles north of the airport. The pilot did not make any distress calls over the radio.
Examination of the wreckage and accident site indicated a high-energy, near-wings-level impact at a shallow descent angle, which was consistent with controlled flight into terrain. The landing gear was down, and the flaps were up. The wreckage examination revealed no evidence of a preaccident mechanical failure or malfunction that would have precluded normal operation of the airframe or engine.
The accident occurred at the end of civil twilight, and, because of the cloud cover, no moon would have been visible. The lack of external lighting cues as the pilot took off over an area with no lights would have been conducive to the development of spatial disorientation. The pilot likely experienced a vestibular illusion and/or spatial disorientation and allowed the airplane to descend into the marsh under controlled flight.
The pilot's diabetes was well controlled and thus not a factor in this accident. Toxicology testing revealed the pilot's use of venlafaxine, an antidepressant. The cognitive impairment associated with depression could have made the pilot more susceptible to spatial disorientation and less able to recognize the situation and respond quickly. However, given the available evidence, the investigation could not determine whether cognitive impairment related to depression contributed to the accident.
Probable Cause: The pilot's controlled flight into terrain as a result of his spatial disorientation during departure in dark nighttime conditions.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N3995Y
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Name_Results.aspx?Nametxt=MIDLAM&sort_option=1&PageNo=1
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 01-Dec-2018 03:27 | Geno | Added |
| 01-Dec-2018 17:53 | Captain Adam | Updated [Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 01-Dec-2018 21:22 | gerard57 | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source] |
| 01-Dec-2018 22:05 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Dec-2018 08:58 | Captain Adam | Updated [Phase, Nature, Departure airport] |
| 02-Dec-2018 19:30 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 02-Dec-2018 19:32 | RobertMB | Updated [Source] |
| 02-Dec-2018 19:40 | RobertMB | Updated [Source] |
| 03-Dec-2018 13:06 | RobertMB | Updated [Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 04-Dec-2018 16:51 | Geno | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 19-Jul-2020 06:27 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 19-Jul-2020 06:39 | harro | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Photo, Accident report, ] |
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