Cessna 210-5A N4810U

Summary

On 6 March 1994 at about 11:06 local time, a Cessna 210-5A registered N4810U, operated by Dennis J. Goodman, was involved in an accident near Jackpot, Nevada, United States. 4 people were on board and one died, 3 were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 March 1994 at 11:06

Classification

Accident

Location

Jackpot, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Jackpot Airport (O6U)

Coordinates

41.8801, -114.7806

Aircraft

Cessna 210-5A

Registration

N4810U

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Dennis J. Goodman

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Gooding

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

LAX94LA152

1 person died.

the pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft's flight path while maneuvering after takeoff in an area of no ground reference lights. Factors in the accident were the pilot's lack of instrument flight experience and the dark nighttime lighting conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The accident occurred during the hours of darkness and no moon was visible. The Jackpot airport is in an area of rolling hills and the only ground reference lights are in the immediate area of the runway and the adjacent casino. The pilot did not have an instrument rating. In his written statement, the pilot said that he did not experience a mechanical failure or malfunction. He reported that he lifted off runway 15 and began a 400-foot per minute climb at a normal airspeed, then began a left turn. The pilot stated that the attitude indicator was showing slightly less than a 20-degree bank turn as the heading indicator was going through 100 degrees when 'we dropped out of the sky.' An FAA inspector interviewed the pilot shortly after the accident. The pilot reported that as he initiated a crosswind turn after take off from runway 15, he lost visual reference with the horizon. No mechanical discrepancies were noted during an examination of the aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.