NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CHI00FA171
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
failure of the pilot to maintain clearance with the terrain after flight into adverse weather. Contributing factors were the thunderstorms and lack of instrument certification by the pilot.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On June 25, 2000, at 1615 central daylight time, a Cessna 210J, N3396S, owned and operated by a non-instrument rated private pilot, was destroyed on impact in a 20-acre bean field. Instrument meteorological conditions with convective activity prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot was fatally injured. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The flight departed Mason City, Iowa and was en route to Dubuque, Iowa. A witness reported that at 1630 there was a heavy downpour when he heard a plane that sounded very low coming from the northeast.
PERSONNEL INFORMATION
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. The pilot did not hold an instrument rating. He received a third class medical certificate on March 3, 1999 with the limitation of "must wear corrective lenses". Medical certificate information indicated that the pilot accumulated a total time of 2,000 hours.
AIRCRAFT INFORMATION
The airplane, serial number 21059196, was powered by a Continental IO-520-J engine, serial number 198137-9-J, rated at 285 horsepower. An annual inspection of the airframe and engine was completed on November 23, 1999 at a total airframe time of 3,683.6 hours.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
The Waterloo, Iowa automated surface observing system (ASOS), located approximately 12 nm south of the accident site, recorded at 1606, wind 240 degrees at 10 knots gusts to 38 knots; 1/4 sm visibility, heavy thunderstorms, rain showers and fog; scattered layer of clouds at 200 feet agl, broken layer at 4,600 feet and an overcast layer at 9,000 feet; temperature 22 degrees C, dewpoint 21 degrees C; altimeter 29.92 inches. NEXRAD radar showed an area of convective activity near the accident site at 1600.
WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION
The wreckage path and ground scarring extended approximately 150 feet along a southeasterly direction. Both wings were separated from the airframe and were located along the wreckage path. The empennage was attached to the airframe and control continuity to the cockpit was confirmed. The cockpit area was destroyed. The propeller hub was separated from the engine and buried by its two blades. The blades were twisted and curled. The crankshaft displayed a 45-degree fracture surface aft of the propeller flange. No mechanical anomalies were noted.
MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION
An autopsy of the pilot was conducted by the Iowa Department of Health on June 27, 2000. FAA toxicological tests results reported 23(mg/dL, mg/hg) ethanol, 17(mg/dL, mg/hg) acetaldeyde. The test report also stated, "The ethanol in this case is from postmortem ethanol formation and not from the ingestion of ethanol."
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Federal Aviation Administration and Cessna Aircraft Company were parties to the investigation. The wreckage was released to the Bremer County Sheriff. The airplane was destroyed on impact with a bean field during a cross-country flight. The pilot was not instrument rated. Weather radar indicated that an area of convective activity was present at the time of the accident. A witness reported hearing a low flying plane during a heavy downpour. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2000_CHI00FA171.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (thunderstorm). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
The Impact of Thunderstorms on Take-off Data in South Africa
Aviation and meteorology are entwined disciplines, as aviation occurs in the atmosphere. Prevailing weather conditions at take-off are of utmost importance to aviation.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Thunderstorm hazards flight research: Storm hazards 1980 overview
A highly instrumented NASA F-106B aircraft, modified for the storm hazards mission and protected against direct lightning strikes, was used in conjunction with various ground based radar and lightning…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Proceedings
Operational evaluation of thunderstorm penetration test flights during project Storm Hazards '80
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is conducting a research project called Storm Hazards '80 in order to study the prediction, detectability and avoidance of the hazards of severe storm…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Nowcasting Thunderstorm Anvil Clouds Over KSC/CCAFS
Electrified thunderstorm anvil clouds extend the threat of natural and triggered lightning to space launch and landing operations far beyond the immediate vicinity of thunderstorm cells.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and Thunderstorm
The focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Observations of severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops
Data derived from the flight tapes of two airliners that experienced severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops are used to produce quantitative descriptions of the turbulence and its environment.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗