What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) On may 13, 2002, about 1359 pacific daylight time, a Cessna T210M, N761LX, collided with trees near Groveland, California. The owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR part 91. The airline transport pilot and one passenger sustained fatal injuries. The airplane was destroyed by the collision sequence and postcrash fire. The personal cross-country flight departed fullerton, California, about 1130 en route to the airplane's home base in carson city, Nevada. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The primary wreckage was at 37 degrees 50.358 minutes north latitude and 119 degrees 51.484 minutes west longitude. The airplane became the subject of an alert notice (alnot) when oakland (zoa) air route traffic control center (ARTCC) lost radar and radio contact at 1359. Zoa lost contact 50 miles northeast of linden, California, at 12,500 feet. Local authorities responded about 1430 to a reported fire, and discovered the airplane wreckage. The airplane came to rest near the edge of an elliptical meadow, which was about 1 mile long by 1/4 mile wide, with the long axis oriented east west. The meadow was in mountainous terrain and surrounded by trees over 100 feet tall. The debris path was along the eastern edge of the meadow on a magnetic heading of 210 degrees. The airplane came to rest about 245 feet from the first identified point of contact (ipc), which was a tree with a fractured trunk and limbs. The separated left wing and pieces of the airplane that were not in burned areas were not sooty or scorched. Several plexiglas shards that the airplane manufacturer's representative identified as windscreen components lay outside of the burned area. These pieces were not sooty, oily, charred, or melted. The main wreckage consisted of the propeller, engine, fuselage, empennage, and right wing. Green lens fragment were located near the right wing tip, which separated and lay about 2 feet from and parallel to the leading edge of the right wing. The rotating beacon and tail navigation light, which were located on top of the vertical stabilizer, were in the main wreckage. Investigators established control continuity from the right aileron, the rudder, and the elevators to the cockpit. The cables on the separated left wing broomstrawed and one cable sawed into the wing skin. The left elevator and rudder hada blob of molten metal at the location of the balance weights. The forward portion of the right elevator balance weight horn was consumed by fire, but the outboard hinge and aft half of the balance weight horn area were present. All three of the propeller blades bent aft and the outer half of the blade closest to the burn area was missing. The blades did not exhibit any gouges or scrape marks. The engine exhibited thermal damage and the right side was more damaged than the left side. The valve covers for cylinders no. 1 and 3 were partially consumed by fire. The ignition harness and magnetos were scorches. The crankcase had a 3-inch-diameter hole in it above cylinder no. 3. Looking in the hole, investigators observed a fractured connecting rod piece.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) ON MAY 13, 2002, ABOUT 1359 PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A CESSNA T210M, N761LX, COLLIDED WITH TREES NEAR GROVELAND, CALIFORNIA. THE OWNER WAS OPERATING THE AIRPLANE UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY THE COLLISION SEQUENCE AND POSTCRASH FIRE. THE PERSONAL CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT DEPARTED FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA, ABOUT 1130 EN ROUTE TO THE AIRPLANE'S HOME BASE IN CARSON CITY, NEVADA. DAY VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN HAD BEEN FILED. THE PRIMARY WRECKAGE WAS AT 37 DEGREES 50.358 MINUTES NORTH LATITUDE AND 119 DEGREES 51.484 MINUTES WEST LONGITUDE. THE AIRPLANE BECAME THE SUBJECT OF AN ALERT NOTICE (ALNOT) WHEN OAKLAND (ZOA) AIR ROUTE TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER (ARTCC) LOST RADAR AND RADIO CONTACT AT 1359. ZOA LOST CONTACT 50 MILES NORTHEAST OF LINDEN, CALIFORNIA, AT 12,500 FEET. LOCAL AUTHORITIES RESPONDED ABOUT 1430 TO A REPORTED FIRE, AND DISCOVERED THE AIRPLANE WRECKAGE. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST NEAR THE EDGE OF AN ELLIPTICAL MEADOW, WHICH WAS ABOUT 1 MILE LONG BY 1/4 MILE WIDE, WITH THE LONG AXIS ORIENTED EAST WEST. THE MEADOW WAS IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN AND SURROUNDED BY TREES OVER 100 FEET TALL. THE DEBRIS PATH WAS ALONG THE EASTERN EDGE OF THE MEADOW ON A MAGNETIC HEADING OF 210 DEGREES. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST ABOUT 245 FEET FROM THE FIRST IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT (IPC), WHICH WAS A TREE WITH A FRACTURED TRUNK AND LIMBS. THE SEPARATED LEFT WING AND PIECES OF THE AIRPLANE THAT WERE NOT IN BURNED AREAS WERE NOT SOOTY OR SCORCHED. SEVERAL PLEXIGLAS SHARDS THAT THE AIRPLANE MANUFACTURER'S REPRESENTATIVE IDENTIFIED AS WINDSCREEN COMPONENTS LAY OUTSIDE OF THE BURNED AREA. THESE PIECES WERE NOT SOOTY, OILY, CHARRED, OR MELTED. THE MAIN WRECKAGE CONSISTED OF THE PROPELLER, ENGINE, FUSELAGE, EMPENNAGE, AND RIGHT WING. GREEN LENS FRAGMENT WERE LOCATED NEAR THE RIGHT WING TIP, WHICH SEPARATED AND LAY ABOUT 2 FEET FROM AND PARALLEL TO THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RIGHT WING. THE ROTATING BEACON AND TAIL NAVIGATION LIGHT, WHICH WERE LOCATED ON TOP OF THE VERTICAL STABILIZER, WERE IN THE MAIN WRECKAGE. INVESTIGATORS ESTABLISHED CONTROL CONTINUITY FROM THE RIGHT AILERON, THE RUDDER, AND THE ELEVATORS TO THE COCKPIT. THE CABLES ON THE SEPARATED LEFT WING BROOMSTRAWED AND ONE CABLE SAWED INTO THE WING SKIN. THE LEFT ELEVATOR AND RUDDER HADA BLOB OF MOLTEN METAL AT THE LOCATION OF THE BALANCE WEIGHTS. THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE RIGHT ELEVATOR BALANCE WEIGHT HORN WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE, BUT THE OUTBOARD HINGE AND AFT HALF OF THE BALANCE WEIGHT HORN AREA WERE PRESENT. ALL THREE OF THE PROPELLER BLADES BENT AFT AND THE OUTER HALF OF THE BLADE CLOSEST TO THE BURN AREA WAS MISSING. THE BLADES DID NOT EXHIBIT ANY GOUGES OR SCRAPE MARKS. THE ENGINE EXHIBITED THERMAL DAMAGE AND THE RIGHT SIDE WAS MORE DAMAGED THAN THE LEFT SIDE. THE VALVE COVERS FOR CYLINDERS NO. 1 AND 3 WERE PARTIALLY CONSUMED BY FIRE. THE IGNITION HARNESS AND MAGNETOS WERE SCORCHES. THE CRANKCASE HAD A 3-INCH-DIAMETER HOLE IN IT ABOVE CYLINDER NO. 3. LOOKING IN THE HOLE, INVESTIGATORS OBSERVED A FRACTURED CONNECTING ROD PIECE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.