- Date
- January 4, 1986, 13:14 local (18:14 UTC)
- Place
- Lake City, FL
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N73SNCessna 210L
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860104000089A
- Case key
- 31477
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
Prior to departure on a VFR flight from Florida to Michigan the non-instrument rated plt did not obtain a weather briefing. 53 minutes after departure the pilot contacted jacksonville ARTCC and reported he had flown VFR into the clouds and was having trouble controlling the aircraft. ATC attempted to get the aircraft to a clear area but before they could the plt reported he was descending and upside down. This was the last radio contact. Witnesses reported hearing the aircraft manuevering and diving followed by an explosion and the sound of falling debris. At the time of the crash the weather was reported as very rainy. Examination of the acft wreckage revealed the right wing failed due to plt overload and then struck the tail severing it. After this the fuselage traveled another 1/2 mile. Examination of pilot records revealed he had a total of 1.2 hours of simulated instrument time, the last .2 being on his private plt checkride 18 months before the crash.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N73SN
- Reported as
- Cessna 210L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21059930
- Airframe hours
- 2,547
- Engine
- Continental IO-520, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Theodore J. Horefitis, II
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 9, 1985 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- X41 · New Port Richey, FL
- Destination
- 76G · Marine City, MI
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
- 31
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 299 total · 40 in this make and model · 254 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VLD, 40 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.