# Accident 20160516003369A: Cessna 210F, Wantage, NJ, May 16, 2016 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 16, 2016, 22:41 local time - Place: Wantage, NJ - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Unknown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 41.2933° N, 74.5853° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.2933&lon=-74.5853&mi=10 - Aircraft: N6450N, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6450N-2018-03-06) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna 210F (registry code 2073418, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-210f) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 210F - Reported engine: CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Other injuries: 0 - Pilot certificates: Private pilot - NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA16FA189](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA16FA189) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160516003369A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON THE EVENING OF MONDAY 5/16/16, MR. LU CHEN WAS THE PILOT IN COMMAND OF N6540N. MR CHEN HAD DEPARTED ROME, NEW YORK (KRME) ON VFR FLIGHT FOR AN UNKNOWN DESTINATION (WHICH MAY LATER BE DETRMINED BASED ON THE LAB RESULTS FROM AN ON BOARD GPS UNIT FOUND ON N6450N). PRIOR TO DEPARTURE ON 5/16/16, IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT MR. CHEN (BASED ON A FUEL SLIP PROVIDED BY THE MILLIONAIRE FIXED BASE OPERATOR) PURCHASED 25 GALLONS OF FUEL ALTHOUGH THE TOTAL FUEL ONBOARD N6450N COULD NOT BE CONFIRMED. AT THE TIME OF DEPARTURE, THE CONTROL TOWER AT KRME WAS CLOSED AND NO CONTACT WITH LOCAL ROME AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) COULD BE INITIATED. ON DEPARTURE, CONTACT WITH ANY ATC FACILITY HAS NOT BEEN VERIFIED, HOWEVER, N6450N PROCEEDED IN A SOUTHERLY DIRECTION AND REACHED A CRUISE ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 5500' (PER A RADAR TRACK PROVIDED BY THE NTSB). IN THE VICINITY OF THE HUGENOT VOR (HUO), THE N6450N BEGAN A CONSTANT DESCENT FROM 5500' AND EVENTUALLY IMPACTED A WOODED AREA APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES TO THE NORTH NORTH EAST OF THE SUSSSEX AIRPORT (KFWN). ON THURSDAY 5/19/16, THE ALLENTOWN FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE (FSDO) WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE CIVIL AIR PATROL HAD LOCATED N6450N IN THE ABOVE DESCRIBED LOCATION. ON SITE, THE NJ STATE POLICE CONFIRMED THE IDENTITY OF THE PILOT AS BEING MR. LU CHEN WHO WAS DETERMINED TO BE FATALLAY INJURED DURING THE IMPACT. THE BODY OF THE PILOT HAD BEEN REMOVED PRIOR TO FAA/NTSB ARRRIVAL. AT APPROXIMATELY 1430 LOCAL TIME, INSPECTORS GILBERT/SANFORD HAD DISPATCHED AND ARRIVED ON THE ACCIDENT SITE OF N6450N BY 1600 LOCAL TIME. APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES LATER, BOB GRETZ FROM THE NTSB HAD ALSO ARRIVED ON SITE. FAA INVESTIGATION HAD REVEALED THE FOLLOWING FACTS: THE AIRCRAFT HAD SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF THE IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST INVERTED AND LARGELY INTACT ON A WESTERLY HEADING IN A HEAVILY WOODED AREA. BOTH WINGS FAILED AT ALL ATTACH POINTS, STACKED RIGHT SIDE UP BENEATH INVERTED FUSELAGE. BOTH WINGS SUSTAINED HEAVY LEADING EDGE DAMAGE. ALL AERODYNAMIC CONTROL SURFACES ACCOUNTED FOR IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE FUSELAGE EXCEPT THE LEFT ELEVATOR(A THOROUGH DEBRIS FIELD SURVEY WAS NOT CONDUCTED AT DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS). BOTH HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS SUSTAINED LEADING EDGE DAMAGE, APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE OUTBOARD SECTIONS ARE MISSING. THE VERTICAL STABILIZER SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE AND THE RUDDER IS INTACT. THE THREE BLADE CONSTANT SPEED PROPELLER AND ONE UNDAMAGED BLADE AND TWO BLADES BENT AFT MIDSPAN, AND THERE IS NO APPARENT LEADING EDGE DAMAGE TO ANY PROP BLADE. THE ENGINE COULD NOT BE EVALUATED DO TO WRECKAGE CONDITION AND ORIENTATION. THE NON-VERNIER THROTTLE CONTROL WAS FOUND APPROXIMATELY ONE THIRD OPEN, VERNIER PROPELLER CONTROL FULL FORWARD, VERNIER MIXTURE CONTROL FULL AFT, LANDING GEAR SELECTOR ON THE UPPER SIDE OF THE NEUTRAL STOP, MAGNETO SWITCH ON LEFT, AND FUEL VALVE ON LEFT. ENGINE AND FLIGHT CONTROL CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE EVALUATED. ONBOARD FUEL QUANTITY AND CONDITION COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THERE WAS NO ODOR OF FUEL AT THE CRASH SCENE, NO DEAD VEGETATION, NO POST-CRASH FIRE. DEBRIS FIELD IS APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET LONG EXTENDING FROM INITIAL TREE LINE IMPACT IN A SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION TO THE WRECKAGE SITE. ## 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 ERA16FA189](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA16FA189), May 17, 2016: Cessna 210 (N6450N), Wantage, NJ, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: A collision with terrain for reasons that could not be determined as the investigation did not reveal any postaccident anomalies with the airplane or pilot. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.