Cessna 210M accident near Pittsfield, Pennsylvania, October 5, 2001
On October 5, 2001 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Cessna 210M, registered N6053B, was destroyed in an accident near Pittsfield, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's loss of control in flight due to spatial disorientation, and his subsequent overstress of the airplane during a recovery attempt. A factor in the accident was the pilot's use of inappropriate medications.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 2001 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Pittsfield, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210M · all 210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N6053B · no longer on the register · serial 21062671
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was cruising at 11,000 feet when the air traffic controller noticed it was over 40 degrees off its assigned heading. The controller contacted the pilot, who said he would correct his heading. The controller then offered him a direct course to his destination, which the pilot accepted. The controller observed the airplane make another "hard left turn," and queried the pilot again, but received no reply. The airplane lost 4,000 feet during a 24-second period, after which, radar contact ceased. Witnesses on the ground saw the airplane descend out of the clouds in a vertical spiral, then saw the left wing depart. The engine was running in an overspeed condition. Toxicological testing of the pilot, a retired medical doctor, revealed the presence of a barbiturate, an antidepressant, an antihistamine sometimes prescribed as a sleep aid, and quinine.
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: 2,000 hours in all; 900 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 30, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,543 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 2, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OSU Columbus OH
- Destination: SYR Syracuse NY
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 39 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from JHW, 21 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.
Other NTSB records under N6053B the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.