- Date
- September 25, 1989, 20:30 local (Sep 26, 1989, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Covington, LA
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N3962YCessna 210D
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890925036179A
- Case key
- 22790
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot in command's disregard of the weather information provided during two briefings and his decision to continue VFR flight into IMC condtions. Factors contributing to the accident were the pilot's lack of night and instrument experience.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The non-instrument rated private pilot received preflight and en route weather briefings which indicated that VFR was not recommended for the night cross country flight to his destination. Weather at the destination airport was low ceilings and fog with about 1/2 mile visibility. The airplane impacted trees at the 85' level while in a descending, wings level attitude. Impact occurred about 3/4 of a mile from the airport. The pilot had a total of 14 hours night time and 2 hours of hood time. The investigation did not reveal any evidence of pre-impact failure or malfunction of the airplane, powerplant, or their associated systems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3962Y
- Reported as
- Cessna 210D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21058462
- Airframe hours
- 3,653
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-A, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Edward A. Harris
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 12, 1988 · 295 hours before
- Departed
- 3XS7 · Houston, TX
- Destination
- LA08
- Airport
- LA08 · Covington-St Tammany
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 192 total · 160 in this make and model · 148 as pilot in command · 73 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Lowest ceiling
- 60 ft
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.