Cessna 210B N9581X

Summary

On 16 March 2017 at about 22:40 local time, a Cessna 210B registered N9581X was involved in an accident near Opal, South Dakota, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 March 2017 at 22:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Opal, South Dakota, United States

Nearest airport

Vig Limousin (1SD4)

Coordinates

44.8742, -102.4167

Aircraft

Cessna 210B

Registration

N9581X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1961

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Rapid City → Faith

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN17FA132

1 person died.

The pilot's loss of airplane control for reasons that could not be determined due to a lack of evidence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was making a personal cross-country flight to return the airplane to the airport where it was normally stored after the completion of an annual inspection. The route of flight passed near a grass airstrip that was adjacent to the pilot's ranch home, and the wreckage was located about 275 yards from the northwest end of the airstrip. No witnesses to the accident were identified, and it could not be determined whether the pilot was performing a low pass or had attempted a landing at the airstrip. Examination of the accident site indicated that the airplane impacted terrain in a nose-low attitude. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures. Although the reported wind at an airport about 19 miles from the accident site was from 360° at 16 knots, the wind at an airport 53 miles from the accident site was from 320° at 34 knots with gusts to 40 knots. Additionally, weather modeling identified the potential for moderate low-level wind shear (LLWS) and moderate clear air turbulence within about 100 ft of the ground, and the potential for light LLWS from 100 to 500 ft above the ground. Therefore, it is possible that the airplane encountered LLWS and turbulence that contributed to a loss of control. Further, the pilot had severe coronary artery disease, which placed him at increased risk of a cardiovascular event that may have resulted in impairment or incapacitation. The investigation was not able to determine if adverse weather conditions or an acute cardiac event contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.