Accident Cessna 210A N6655X,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 78934
 
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Date:Thursday 28 October 2010
Time:09:34
Type:Silhouette image of generic C210 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Cessna 210A
Owner/operator:Fbn Of Catawba Llc
Registration: N6655X
MSN: 21057655
Year of manufacture:1960
Total airframe hrs:7988 hours
Engine model:Continental IO-470-E
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Near Muddy Branch Road near Aiken , South Carolina -   United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature:Private
Departure airport:Beaufort, SC (ARW)
Destination airport:Aiken, SC (AIK)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
During a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country flight, an air traffic controller advised the non-instrument rated pilot that a broken line of weather with moderate-to-heavy precipitation existed, which extended almost to his destination airport. During the ensuing conversation, the pilot advised the controller that he was underneath the weather and that he had weather radar. The pilot then entered the weather in the vicinity of his destination airport. Radar imagery, witness statements, and measurements from local surface stations indicated that areas of light, moderate, and possibly heavy precipitation existed and that the airplane was most likely in instrument meteorological conditions in its final 2 minutes of flight. Review of radar data revealed that, after entering the weather, the pilot's altitude control became erratic, and the airplane entered an ever-tightening right turn, consistent with the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation. The airplane completed about two and a half 360-degree turns of progressively smaller diameter before radar contact was lost, and the airplane impacted terrain. No record of the pilot obtaining a weather briefing or filing a flight plan was discovered.

Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact malfunction or failure of the airplane or engine, and it did not reveal any evidence that on-board weather radar was installed. During the wreckage examination, the remains of a portable global positioning system receiver were discovered. The receiver was not certificated for use under instrument flight rules and was intended by the manufacturer to be used as an aid for VFR navigation. It was capable of displaying weather data and images from the NEXt-generation RADar (NEXRAD) ground radar network, but, unlike on-board weather radar, transmitted NEXRAD data is not real-time. The receiver manufacturer cautioned that the lapsed time between collection, processing, and dissemination of NEXRAD images can be significant, and, therefore, they should only be used for long-range planning purposes and not for short-range weather avoidance.

Furthermore, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), NEXRAD data or any radar data should not be used to penetrate hazardous weather. Rather, it should be used in an early-warning capacity of pre-departure and en route evaluation. As discussed in the Safety Alert issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on in-cockpit NEXRAD, because NEXRAD images present radar data from multiple ground sites as a single mosaic image, the age indicated on the NEXRAD image does not show the age of the actual weather conditions but rather represents the time when the mosaic image was created. The actual weather conditions could be up to 15 to 20 minutes older than the age indicated on the image. Both the FAA and the NTSB advise that advanced avionics weather data systems should not be used as a substitute for a pre-flight weather briefing.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadequate weather planning and improper decision to continue a visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in a loss of control due to spatial disorientation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s improper use of in-cockpit next generation radar imagery for short-range weather avoidance.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: ERA11FA038
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 8 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB
[LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/Plane_crash_reported_in_Aiken_County_106042868.html]
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13404289
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N6655X/history/20101028/1256Z/KARW/KAIK

Location

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
28-Oct-2010 13:56 gerard57 Added
29-Oct-2010 15:04 Geno Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source]
29-Oct-2010 15:05 bizjets101 Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source]
30-Oct-2010 03:04 Carolinian Updated [Date, Time, Location]
31-Oct-2010 12:22 bizjets101 Updated [Date, Time]
25-Nov-2010 07:56 rvargast17 Updated [Aircraft type, Location]
21-Dec-2016 19:25 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
26-Nov-2017 18:34 ASN Update Bot Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]

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