Cessna T210L N9222T

Summary

On 21 November 1998 at about 23:15 local time, a Cessna T210L registered N9222T was involved in an accident near Oakland, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one died, one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 November 1998 at 23:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Oakland, California, United States

Coordinates

37.7499, -122.1303

Aircraft

Cessna T210L

Registration

N9222T

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Petaluma → Watsonville

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX99FA038

1 person died.

The pilot-in-command's inadequate fuel management which led to fuel starvation and subsequent loss of engine power. Also causal was the pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude and his ostentatious display.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and passenger departed on a cross-country flight. The flight reached the destination airport; however, due to fog and low stratus clouds the pilot diverted to another airport for lunch. On the return trip air traffic control (ATC) observed an unidentified aircraft circle a coliseum in class 'B' airspace during a major football game. Two pilot witnesses at the game observed the same make and model airplane over the coliseum 500/700 feet above ground level near the accident time. It then proceeded towards another major airport located in class 'C' airspace when the transponder was observed to quit operating about 5 miles from that airport. The airplane was then tracked as a primary target until radar contact was lost. The accident airplane crashed into a high school cafeteria about 2.25 miles northeast of Oakland International Airport. Two witness statements were obtained from persons at the Castlemont School. One reported hearing the engine cutting on and off as he watched it collide with the building. The other witness heard no engine sound and also watched it collide with the building. The pilot stated that his passenger had gotten into the rear seat while in-flight to photograph the coliseum football game. The passenger was not wearing a seat belt and neither wore shoulder harnesses at the time of accident. The last thing that the pilot recalled was asking his passenger if she could read the scoreboard. When asked how high he was flying, the pilot stated 5,500 feet mean sea level. Examination of the radios revealed the transponder was off and both communication radios were on Unicom frequencies. According to on scene emergency service personnel, there was fuel venting or running from the airplane in a steady stream. The local fire department foamed the accident area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.