What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On January 2, 2017, a Cessna T210K, N272EF, impacted mountainous terrain north of Payson, AZ, at an elevation of 6,601 feet. The mountains are part of a tall escarpment, the mogollon rim, that reaches an elevation of between 7,900 and 8,000 feet and rises 1,500 to 2,000 feet above the surrounding lower terrain. The pilot departed the scottsdale, AZ airport (ksdl) at 0912 local time with full fuel for telluride, co (ktex) as his destination. The airplane collided with terrain at approximately 0937 with the pilot and his three passengers fatally injured. Weather conditions at Payson Airport, which has a field elevation of 5,157 feet, was reported as IMC with a cloud layer from 300 feet AGL to 9500 feet MSL. The dew point and temperature spread was 1 to 2 degrees indicating icing conditions. Local residents living below the crash site also stated mountain obscuration at the time of the accident. Aeronautical charts for visual flight rules (VFR) flights depict a maximum elevation figure (mef) of 8,400 feet for safe obstacle clearance in that quadrant. No flight plan was filed and the pilot did not obtain a weather briefing from official sources. The private pilot was not instrument rated.
Air traffic control (ATC) radar data shows that after departing sdl the aircraft made a gradual climb to an apparent cruising altitude of 7,200 feet MSL and then higher to 7,950 feet MSL. This altitude did not remain constant, however. Several times prior to impact with terrain, the aircraft descended followed by a climb, each subsequent climb lower than the one before it. These descents varied from a few hundred feet to as much as 1300 feet. At no time did the pilot alter his heading.
The initial impact point (iip) consisted of a 50 foot tall tree which tore one of the elevators off. Trees further upslope tore the wings from the fuselage and 40 feet beyond the iip a heavy ground scar was observerd surrounded by sections of the wings, elevators and smaller airplane fragments as well as broken branches and loose dirt. Both wings had broken off immediately outboard of the mounting points, the vertical stabilizer and rudder was separated from the fuselage except by control cables. Eighty feet beyond the iip the fuselage came to rest at an upward angle with the engine detached and laying just forward of the main cabin. Of the propeller?s three blades, two were still attached to the hub and one was resting down slope in the ground scar. The propeller blades damage was consistent with significant engine power at the time of impact.
As the FAA filed it
ON JANUARY 2, 2017, A CESSNA T210K, N272EF, IMPACTED MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN NORTH OF PAYSON, AZ, AT AN ELEVATION OF 6,601 FEET. THE MOUNTAINS ARE PART OF A TALL ESCARPMENT, THE MOGOLLON RIM, THAT REACHES AN ELEVATION OF BETWEEN 7,900 AND 8,000 FEET AND RISES 1,500 TO 2,000 FEET ABOVE THE SURROUNDING LOWER TERRAIN. THE PILOT DEPARTED THE SCOTTSDALE, AZ AIRPORT (KSDL) AT 0912 LOCAL TIME WITH FULL FUEL FOR TELLURIDE, CO (KTEX) AS HIS DESTINATION. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN AT APPROXIMATELY 0937 WITH THE PILOT AND HIS THREE PASSENGERS FATALLY INJURED. WEATHER CONDITIONS AT PAYSON AIRPORT, WHICH HAS A FIELD ELEVATION OF 5,157 FEET, WAS REPORTED AS IMC WITH A CLOUD LAYER FROM 300 FEET AGL TO 9500 FEET MSL. THE DEW POINT AND TEMPERATURE SPREAD WAS 1 TO 2 DEGREES INDICATING ICING CONDITIONS. LOCAL RESIDENTS LIVING BELOW THE CRASH SITE ALSO STATED MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. AERONAUTICAL CHARTS FOR VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) FLIGHTS DEPICT A MAXIMUM ELEVATION FIGURE (MEF) OF 8,400 FEET FOR SAFE OBSTACLE CLEARANCE IN THAT QUADRANT. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED AND THE PILOT DID NOT OBTAIN A WEATHER BRIEFING FROM OFFICIAL SOURCES. THE PRIVATE PILOT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT RATED.
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) RADAR DATA SHOWS THAT AFTER DEPARTING SDL THE AIRCRAFT MADE A GRADUAL CLIMB TO AN APPARENT CRUISING ALTITUDE OF 7,200 FEET MSL AND THEN HIGHER TO 7,950 FEET MSL. THIS ALTITUDE DID NOT REMAIN CONSTANT, HOWEVER. SEVERAL TIMES PRIOR TO IMPACT WITH TERRAIN, THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED FOLLOWED BY A CLIMB, EACH SUBSEQUENT CLIMB LOWER THAN THE ONE BEFORE IT. THESE DESCENTS VARIED FROM A FEW HUNDRED FEET TO AS MUCH AS 1300 FEET. AT NO TIME DID THE PILOT ALTER HIS HEADING.
THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT (IIP) CONSISTED OF A 50 FOOT TALL TREE WHICH TORE ONE OF THE ELEVATORS OFF. TREES FURTHER UPSLOPE TORE THE WINGS FROM THE FUSELAGE AND 40 FEET BEYOND THE IIP A HEAVY GROUND SCAR WAS OBSERVERD SURROUNDED BY SECTIONS OF THE WINGS, ELEVATORS AND SMALLER AIRPLANE FRAGMENTS AS WELL AS BROKEN BRANCHES AND LOOSE DIRT. BOTH WINGS HAD BROKEN OFF IMMEDIATELY OUTBOARD OF THE MOUNTING POINTS, THE VERTICAL STABILIZER AND RUDDER WAS SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE EXCEPT BY CONTROL CABLES. EIGHTY FEET BEYOND THE IIP THE FUSELAGE CAME TO REST AT AN UPWARD ANGLE WITH THE ENGINE DETACHED AND LAYING JUST FORWARD OF THE MAIN CABIN. OF THE PROPELLER?S THREE BLADES, TWO WERE STILL ATTACHED TO THE HUB AND ONE WAS RESTING DOWN SLOPE IN THE GROUND SCAR. THE PROPELLER BLADES DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH SIGNIFICANT ENGINE POWER AT THE TIME OF IMPACT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.
Other reports on N272EF · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.