Cessna 210K accident near Frederick, Maryland, March 6, 1992
On March 6, 1992 at about 11:45 am local time, a Cessna 210K, registered N8104G, was destroyed in an accident near Frederick, Maryland (Frederick Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER IFR OPERATION AND DESCENT BELOW THE ILS GLIDESLOPE AND DECISION HEIGHT, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH TREES. THE WEATHER CONDITION AND LACK OF A RECENT WEATHER BRIEFING WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 1992 · about 11:45 am local time
- Place
- Frederick, Maryland · Frederick Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210K · all 210Ks on the register
- Registration
- N8104G · registry record · serial 21059404
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOTS WERE ON THE FIRST LEG OF A PERSONAL FLIGHT. THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND HAD OBTAINED A WEATHER BRIEFING ON THE PREVIOUS NIGHT, BUT HAD NOT UPDATED IT ON THE DAY OF THE FLIGHT. THE WEATHER AT THE DESTINATION AIRPORT WAS IN PART: 100 FT OVERCAST, REDUCED VISIBILITY WITH FOG, WIND FROM 020 DEG AT 7 KTS. ON THE FIRST APPROACH, THE PILOT EXECUTED A MISSED APPROACH, BUT DID NOT FOLLOW THE MISSED APPROACH PROCEDURE. THE MISSED APPROACH PROCEDURE WAS TO CLIMB TO 1000 FT MSL ON THE RUNWAY HEADING, THEN TURN LEFT, WHILE CONTINUING THE CLIMB TO 2800 FT VIA THE LOCALIZER COURSE TO THE OUTER MARKER. INSTEAD, HE CIRCLED TO THE RIGHT OVER THE CITY AND REQUESTED ANOTHER APPROACH. ON THE SECOND APPROACH, HE FLEW TO THE LEFT OF THE LOCALIZER AND DESCENDED BELOW THE GLIDE SLOPE AND DECISION HEIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED TREES ON A HILL ABOUT 200 FEET BELOW THE ILS DECISION HEIGHT AND 1.85 MI FROM THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 23. A POST- ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A PREEXISTING MECHANICAL FAILURE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,551 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 16, 1992; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ILM Wilmington DE at 11:30 am
- Destination: FDK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 7 knots
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from FDK, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number BFO92FA031.