On Thursday, the NTSB release its Preliminary Report on last
week's accident in Ludville, GA that claimed the life of famed test
pilot Scott Crossfield, which follows below. In what is perhaps the
report's most significant finding, the NTSB reports wreckage from
the accident -- which occurred in IMC conditions near a Level
6 thunderstorm cell -- is "consistent with a low altitude
in-flight breakup."
The report states investigators found no evidence of
failure in the aircraft's vacuum system, which is significant
in that such a failure would have had a severe impact on the
plane's directional gyro and attitude instruments.
On April 19, at
approximately 11:10 am EDT, a Cessna 210A, N6579X, rapidly
descended into remote mountainous terrain near Ludville, Georgia,
after entering an area of thunderstorms. The pilot, well-known test
pilot A. Scott Crossfield, the sole occupant, was fatally injured.
Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed at the time of
the accident. The accident flight departed Prattville - Grouby
Field Airport, Prattville, Alabama, at 10:05, and was en route to
Manassas Regional/Harry P. Davis Field Airport, Manassas,
Virginia.
At 10:18 am, the pilot checked-in with Atlanta Air Route Traffic
Control Center (ARTCC) and was subsequently handled by four
sectors. The accident airplane was cleared to 11,000 feet. The
pilot was not issued weather advisories or related SIGMETS,
according to Atlanta ARTCC voice communications. At 11:09:28 am,
the pilot asked to deviate to the south due to weather. Atlanta
ARTCC approved the turn to the south, but radar contact was lost at
11:10:02 am at 5,500 feet. Recorded radar data indicate that the
accident airplane entered a level 6 thunderstorm prior to the loss
of radar contact.
The airplane impacted about 3.3 nautical miles northwest of
Ludville, Georgia, in rugged wooded terrain. The associated debris
was located in two general areas, situated about 1 mile apart from
each other. The wreckage distribution was consistent with a low
altitude in-flight breakup.
The main wreckage was situated in a four-foot deep crater. There
was limited damage to the overhead tree canopy, consistent with a
near vertical descent path. The main wreckage consisted of the
cockpit, engine, propeller, left and right main wing spars, nose
and main landing gear, left and right flap, and portions of the
empennage. The second area of wreckage consisted of portions of the
left and right wing leading edges, the upper portion of the
vertical stabilizer leading edge and tip rib, a small section of
aileron and the left cabin door. The two ailerons and the outboard
portion of the right elevator were not recovered during the
on-scene investigation. Two of the three propeller blades have been
recovered, both of which exhibit chordwise scratches and blade
twist. All four corners of the airplane have been located;
cockpit/engine, left wing, empennage, right wing, and fuselage. The
major airframe components, engine, and recovered propeller blades
were transported to a local Department of Transportation accident
reconstruction yard.
A two-dimensional wreckage layout confirmed flight control cable
circuit continuity for ailerons, elevators, and rudder. The flaps
and landing gear were fully retracted. Functional testing and
disassembly of the wet vacuum pump showed no evidence of pre-impact
failure. No gyros instruments were found intact. No liberated gyros
were found at the accident site. The on-scene investigation did not
reveal any pre-impact anomalies that would have prevented the
normal operation of the airplane or its related systems.
The investigator-in-charge for this accident is Todd Fox of the
North Central Regional Office in West Chicago, Illinois. Assisting
him in the investigation are the FAA, Cessna Aircraft Company, and
Continental Engines. The NTSB identification number for this
investigation is CHI06MA115.
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