Cessna T210M accident near Laramie, Wyoming, October 1, 2002
On October 1, 2002 at about 10:27 pm local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N210HC, was destroyed in an accident near Laramie, Wyoming. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper inflight planning/decision, and his failure to maintain terrain clearance while attempting a low altitude maneuver. Contributing factors were the mountainous terrain, the airplane’s low altitude, and the pilot's lack of total instrument time.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 2002 · about 10:27 pm local time
- Place
- Laramie, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N210HC · registry record · serial 210-62536
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instrument rated pilot was on an IFR cross-country flight. During the course of the flight, he requested a "turn back on course and if you could work out a lower altitude, we'd appreciate it." He was soon cleared to "descend and maintain one seven thousand (feet)." The pilot later asked the controller if he could "work us out of one seven thousand (feet), down to one three thousand (feet) or one one thousand (feet)." The controller cleared the pilot to descend to 13,000 feet. The pilot acknowledged the clearance and remarked, "see if we can work our way through these clouds." Later, the pilot reported, "Got a pretty big opening. I'm gonna cancel out on this IFR. I think I can make a big circle and get under this scattered layer, if that's okay with you." The controller approved the pilot's request to cancel his IFR flight plan. The airplane was in a circling descent before radar contact was lost. The wreckage was located about 45 miles from the last radar contact. According to the pilot's logbook, he had accrued 37.3 and 82.0 hours in actual and simulated instrument meteorological conditions, respectively. According to the pilot's son, his father would file an IFR flight plan and fly in the IFR "system" to stay current with IFR procedures and controller phraseology but, as a rule, he avoided flying in actual instrument meteorological conditions.
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: 1,650 hours in all; 1,563 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 6, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,490 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 27, 2002; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BIL Billings MT
- Destination: 49V Erie CO
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 120° at 23 knots, gusting 28
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:07 pm from LAR
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.