Cessna T210N accident near Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, September 17, 2010
On September 17, 2010 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N111NA, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Coeur D'Alene, Idaho (Pappy Boyington Field Airport). 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 continued flight into instrument meteorological conditions and failure to maintain clearance with mountainous terrain while maneuvering in an area of low cloud ceilings.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 2010 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Coeur D'Alene, Idaho · Pappy Boyington Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N111NA · registry record · serial 21063284
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a cross-country flight, the airplane collided with mountainous terrain at an elevation of 3,300 feet mean sea level (msl). Radar data initially identified the flight at 12,000 feet msl on a direct path to the pilot’s planned destination. About 20 miles southeast of the airport, the track indicated a descending left turn to the west-southwest followed by multiple 360 degree turns. The track then proceeded northeast over mountainous terrain, climbing and descending between 3,300 and 3,600 feet msl. The track indicated multiple 180-degree turns before the radar data terminated in the general vicinity where the wreckage was located. Around the time of the accident, reported weather at the destination airport (14 miles north) included cloud layers at 3,900 feet and 6,500 feet. The pilot did not hold an instrument rating, and it is likely that he was maneuvering around weather when the collision occurred. The pilot did not obtain a flight service station (FSS) weather briefing for the flight. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Obscuration › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Mountainous/hilly terrain › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 352 hours in all; 277 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 244 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 26, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor TSIO-520 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Lamax Construction INC
The flight
- Departed from: GEY Greybull WY at 5:00 pm
- Destination: COE Coeur D'Alene ID
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; scat at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from COE, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 WPR10FA459.