# Accident 20061113026879A: Cessna T303, South Bend, IN, November 13, 2006

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: November 13, 2006, 08:03 local time
- Place: South Bend, IN
- Airport: Michiana Regional
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.6322° N, 86.5181° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.6322&lon=-86.5181&mi=10
- Aircraft: N611BB, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N611BB-2007-01-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Cessna T303 (registry code 2073820, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-t303) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental TSIO-520 series (registry code 17040, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-tsio-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA T303
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 5
- Pilot flight hours: 600 total, 100 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI07FA022](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI07FA022) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20061113026879A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) THE TWIN CESSNA AIRCRAFT DEPARTED SBN AIRPORT ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN AT APPROXIMATELY 7:56 PM EST WITH FIVE PEOPLE ON BOARD, INCLUDING THE PILOT. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) INTERCEDED TO AID THE PILOT IN GETTING ESTABLISHED ON THE INTENDED ROUTE OF FLIGHT, DIRECT TO OXI VOR. THE PILOT HAD INITIALLY DEPARTED IN A WESTERLY DIRECTION INSTEAD OF SOUTHWESTERLY, AS HE WAS DIRECTED. IN OTHER RESPECTS, THE FLIGHT APPEARED NORMAL, APPARENTLY WITH A GOOD RATE OF CLIMB AND NO INDICATION OF A PROBLEM FROM THE PILOT. THE PILOT'S LAST RADIO TRANSMISSION WAS SIMPLY HIS CALL SIGN. APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST FROM THE SBN AIRPORT, ATC LOST RADIO AND RADAR CONTACT WITH THE AIRCRAFT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, REPORTS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT INDICATED A DOWNED AIRCRAFT, AND THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED IN A CORNFIELD ABOUT 65 MINUTES LATER. SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT, A SPECIAL WEATHER OBSERVATION AT SBN AIRPORT INDICATED AN 1100 FEET CLOUD CEILING, WITH "MIST" CONDITIONS AND VISIBILITY OF 5 MILES. TEMPERATURE AND DEWPOINT WAS 4 AND 2 DEGREES CELSIUS, RESPECTIVELY, AT THE SURFACE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI07FA022](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI07FA022), Nov 14, 2006: Cessna T303 (N611BB), Mill Creek, IN, destroyed, 5 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot became spatially disoriented and as a result failed to maintain control of the airplane. Factors associated with the accident were the instrument meteorological conditions aloft and the…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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