Cessna P210N accident near Ridgefield, Connecticut, May 6, 1996
On May 6, 1996 at about 3:07 pm local time, a Cessna P210N, registered N450T, was destroyed in an accident near Ridgefield, Connecticut (Danbury 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
improper planning/decision by the pilot, which led to flight into icing conditions; and his failure to use all anti-ice and deicing equipment, as specified by the airplane operator's manual for inadvertent flight into icing conditions. This resulted in loss of engine power due to ice, a forced landing, and subsequent collision with trees during the forced landing. Factors relating to the accident were: the adverse weather (icing) condition, failure of a FAA Flight Service Station briefer to provide adequate icing advisories to the pilot, and low ceiling and trees in the emergency landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 1996 · about 3:07 pm local time
- Place
- Ridgefield, Connecticut · Danbury Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N450T · no longer on the register · serial 00453
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At 0857 edt, the pilot of Cessna P210N, N450T, contacted the FAA Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS) at Millville, NJ. He stated his intention to file an IFR flight plan from Morristown, NJ to Bedford, MA, at 5000 feet and requested a standard weather briefing. The briefer provided info from AIRMET Zule, Update 1, that the freezing level was at 10,000 feet, but said '...the freezing level up around Boston is at 5,000 feet, so anything 5 and above you might pick up icing there.' The pilot filed for 7,000 feet. At 0945 edt, after the pilot had received his weather briefing, AIRMET Zulu, Update 2 was issued, which called for light occasional moderate rime and mixed icing in the clouds and precipitation. Also, it cautioned that the freezing level would be from the surface to 4,000 feet, north of the pilot's destination, sloping to 8,000 feet at his departure point. At 1035, the pilot took off. About 30 minutes later, the airplane's single turbine engine experienced a completed loss of power. The airplane then descended in IMC and collided with trees during a forced landing. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact failure of the engine, airframe, fuel system, or propeller. Investigation revealed N450T was not certifcated for flight in known icing conditions, and that the pilot did not use all anti-ice and deicing equipment as specified by the operator's manual. The pilot of another airplane departed an airport near the accident site. He reported icing at 7,000 feet, but no icing after a descent to 5,000 feet.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,589 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 20, 1995; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 250-B17F/2 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MMU Morristown NJ at 2:35 pm
- Destination: BED Bedford MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:06 pm from DXR, 1 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.
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.