Cessna 210N accident near Valley Spring, Texas, February 22, 2004
On February 22, 2004 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 210N, registered N6175Y, was destroyed in an accident near Valley Spring, Texas (None airport). It was a personal 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 continued flight into known adverse weather and failure to maintain control of the airplane while maneuvering in instrument meteorological conditions, due to spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 22, 2004 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Valley Spring, Texas · None · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210N · all 210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6175Y · registry record · serial 21064280
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to departure, the 580-hour, non-instrument rated private pilot obtained two weather briefings from an automated flight service station (FSS). A briefer reported that an AIRMET for IFR conditions was in affect and VFR was not recommended across the proposed route of flight. The AIRMET for IFR conditions would continue beyond 0900 and end at 1200. In addition, a briefer told the pilot to contact FSS while en route and obtain weather advisories. The pilot departed about 0915, and there are no records that he contacted FSS while airborne. Examination of the last one minute of data revealed the target was at an altitude of 5,400 feet msl, on a heading of 102 degrees at 158 knots, when it made a right 180-degree turn, before the data ended at 1039. A witness said the weather conditions at the time were light drizzle, haze, limited visibility, and that it had been raining, but had "just let up." He heard the airplane circle overhead for several minutes followed by a loud explosion at 1045. According to FAA Flight Training Handbook Advisory Circular (AC) 61-21A, "If neither horizon or surface references exist, the airplane's attitude must be determined by artificial means - an attitude indicator or other flight instruments. Sight, supported by other senses such as the inner ear and muscle sense, is used to maintain spatial orientation. However, during periods of low visibility, the supporting senses sometimes conflict with what is seen. When this happens, a pilot is particularly vulnerable to spatial disorientation." A toxicology report detected hydrocodone, a narcotic analgesic, in the pilot's liver and kidney. Since blood was not available for testing, it is not possible to determine when the pilot may have ingested the prescribed medication or whether he may have been impaired from it. Hydrocodone may cause some people to become drowsy, dizzy, or lightheaded. According to an FAA flight surgeon, using hydrocodone within 24 hours of flying is not recommended.
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
- Flight time: 588 hours in all; 560 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 450 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 30, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,923.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 12, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L(8) (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MAF Midland TX at 3:15 pm
- Destination: SGR Sugarland TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from BMQ, 22 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.