Cessna T-210F accident near Hendersonville, North Carolina, September 15, 2001
On September 15, 2001 at about 1:37 am local time, a Cessna T-210F, registered N6740R, was destroyed in an accident near Hendersonville, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to follow the air traffic controllers verbal instructions pertaining to heading and minimum safe vectoring altitude while being vectored for an ILS approach to his destination airport. This resulted in an in-flight collision with trees and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2001 · about 1:37 am local time
- Place
- Hendersonville, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T-210F · all T-210Fs on the register
- Registration
- N6740R · no longer on the register · serial T210-0140
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was being vectored for an ILS approach to his destination airport located in mountainous terrain. The pilot was informed that he was below the minimum safe vectoring altitude and provided with a course correction. The pilot acknowledged the instructions and did not follow the heading and altitude instructions provided by the controller. The airplane collided with tress and terrain. Examination of the airframe and flight controls revealed no evidence of a pre-crash mechanical failure or malfunction. All components necessary for flight were present at the crash site. Continuity of the flight control system was confirmed for pitch, roll, and yaw.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,475 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 8, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4M2 Booneville AR at 9:22 pm
- Destination: AVL Asheville NC
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; scat at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 am from AVL, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.