20010513008639A

(.19)On may 13, 2001, at 1300 central daylight time, a Cessna 210K single-engine, complex airplane, N8246M, was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain near the Real County Airport, Leakey, Texas. The airplane was registered to a private individual and was operated by the pilot. The private pilot, his pilot-rated passenger, and two other passengers received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 code of federal regulations part 91 personal flight. The 112-nautical mile cross country flight originated from the austin bergstrom international airport at 1201, and was destined for the Real County Airport. According to the FAA, the aircraft departed austin and obtained radar flight following to the vicinity of Leakey. A pilot-rated ear-witness, located at the airport, stated that he heard a reduction in engine power coming from a left downwind position for runway 15, as if the airplane was coming in for a landing. He heard the airplane fly the traffic pattern, then heard engine power being applied "as if the pilot was intending to go-around or had performed a touch-and-go." The ear-witness then heard two "bangs, which sounded like backfires," followed by a louder bang. Another ear-witness, located approximately 1/2 mile from the airport, stated that she heard two "pops, similar to an engine backfire, followed by a loud bang." She stated that she could hear engine power, but never saw the airplane. The airplane impacted a 100-foot tree (located 0.12 miles from the departure end of runway 15) at a global positioning system (GPS) location of north 29 degrees 44.339 minutes latitude and west 99 degrees 45.647 minutes longitude. Adjacent to the base of the tree were numerous broken and cut branches. One of the branches was cut twice and displayed black paint transfers similar to the paint on the propeller. The initial ground impact mark was located on us highway 83, approximately 344 feet from the tree. The initial ground impact mark was a diagonal line across the paved road, which measured 36 feet and 9 inches (the wing span for the Cessna 210K is 36 feet and 9 inches). On the left side of the impact mark were pieces of a green navigation lens. Midway along the diagonal ground scar were 4 parallel gashes in the paved road. One of the propeller blades came to rest next to the gashes. The pavement dis played deep scrapes in the road leading to the airplane's final resting place. The airplane came to rest inverted in the grass with its empennage on the road. The cockpit, cabin, and both wings were consumed by fire. The propeller hub, with two propeller blades attached came to rest on the road, approximately 75 feet from the initial ground impact mark. All three propeller blades displayed chord-wise scrapes and gouges. Each propeller blade was twisted toward a low pitch setting. The propeller hub had separated from the engine just aft of the crankshaft propeller flange, and its fracture surface displayed characteristics similar to torsional overload. The airplane wreckage was removed from the road and relocated to a secure area adjacent to the accident site. Photographs of the wreckage, prior to its relocation, revealed that the aircraft flight control cables ran through the cockpit area to their respective control surfaces. Examination of the flap actuator revealed that the flaps were in the retracted position at the time of the accident. The main landing gear and nose landing gear appeared to be in the retracted position; however, the main landing gear up locks were destroyed b y fire damage. Examination of the cockpit revealed that the aircraft instruments and switches were destroyed by impact and fire damage. The left side control yoke remained attached to its post; however, the left side horn was separated. The right side control yoke was separated from its post and both of its horns remained attached. (-23)on a go-around, the aircraft impacted a tree near the end of the runway. The aircraft impacted the ground in an inverted position. The aircraft burned after impact. There was no damage to persons or property on the ground. There was no NMAC. (.4) the airplane entered a left-hand traffic pattern for the runway and averaged 130 knots ground speed on the downwind leg. The aircraft's average ground speed on final approach was 146 knots. Review of the radar data depicted that the pilot would have had to fly a 5.06 degree descent angle from the last radar position in order to land at the runway's threshold. An ear-witness, located at the airport, stated that he heard a reduction in engine power coming from a left downwind position, as if the airplane was coming I n for a landing. The ear-witness heard the airplane fly the traffic pattern, then heard the engine power being applied "as if the pilot was intending to go-around or had performed a touch-and-go." The ear-witness subsequently heard two bangs followed by a louder bang. The airplane impacted trees near the departure end of the runway and subsequently hit a paved road. The airplane came to rest inverted on the side of the road and was consumed by fire. The flaps and landing gear were found in the retracted positions. No anomalies with the engine or aircraft were noted that would have prevented normal flight operations.