At 1627 mountain time, a Cessna T210M struck terrain while maneuvering 16 miles northeast of Laramie, killing the pilot. Instrument meteorological conditions existed at the accident site and the airplane had been on an IFR flight plan. The pilot was at FL170 when he requested a descent to 13,000 feet to see if we can work our way through these clouds. Ten minutes later he reported he was presently about 39 miles to the northwest of Laramie. Got a pretty big opening. Im gonna cancel out on this IFR. I think I can make a big circle and get under this scattered layer… Radar contact was lost seven minutes later after the airplane had made three 360-degree turns and was at 10,500 feet. The airplane struck upsloping rocky terrain at an elevation of 8,491 feet, skipped over the top of a small rise, and bounced twice on the other side before sliding to a halt. The pilots logbook contained 37 hours in actual IMC.
October 01, Laramie, Wyo. / Cessna 210
At 1627 mountain time, a Cessna T210M struck terrain while maneuvering 16 miles northeast of Laramie, killing the pilot. Instrument meteorological conditions existed at the accident site and the airplane had been on an IFR flight plan. The pilot was at FL170 when he requested a descent to 13,000 feet to see if we can work our way through these clouds. Ten minutes later he reported he was presently about 39 miles to the northwest of Laramie. Got a pretty big opening. Im gonna cancel out on this IFR. I think I can make a big circle and get under this scattered layer... Radar contact was lost seven minutes later after the airplane had made three 360-degree turns and was at 10,500 feet. The...
Key Takeaways:
- A Cessna T210M crashed and killed the pilot near Laramie in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).
- The pilot, initially on an IFR flight plan, cancelled it after reporting a "big opening" and attempted to fly visually under a scattered cloud layer.
- Before impact, the aircraft made three 360-degree turns while descending from FL170 to 10,500 feet, losing radar contact shortly before striking terrain.
- The pilot had 37 hours of experience in actual IMC, which may have been a factor in the decision to cancel IFR and maneuver visually in challenging conditions.
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