Pilot Debrief

CESSNA P210N near Louisville, KY — 2008-04-06

Final reportNYC08LA152
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Date
2008-04-06
Location
Louisville, KY, USA
Airport
LOU
Aircraft
CESSNA P210N
Registration
N734JV
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin.

NTSB narrative

At the end of a long cross country flight, while on a straight-in approach to the runway, the pilot was advised by the tower that there was another airplane in front of him, and to perform S-turns for spacing. Two witnesses then saw the airplane begin a nose-high left turn, then saw the left wing dip. One of the witnesses, a pilot waiting for departure, noted that the airplane was in the landing configuration with landing gear and flaps extended. It appeared that the airplane did not increase airspeed, yet the more it turned, the steeper the angle of bank became. The witness then saw the airplane enter a spin with the left wing low and the right wing high. The airplane made 1 1/2 revolutions before disappearing below a tree line. Tower controller observations were similar to those of the witnesses. Postcrash examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have refueled before attempting the long flight to avoid fuel exhaustion.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 10 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents10

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