NTSB Identification: CEN11FA130
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, December 27, 2010 in Loveland, CO
Aircraft: CESSNA 210B, registration: N200EP
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On December 27, 2010, at 1436 mountain standard time, a Cessna C-210B airplane, N200E, impacted terrain near Carter Lake, Loveland, Colorado. The airplane was substantially damaged and the private pilot was fatally injured. The personal flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The flight originated at Boulder Municipal Airport (BDU), Boulder, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident.

Radar data indicated the airplane departed BDU at 1323 with the airplane transponder code set to 1200. The pilot did not request air traffic control (ATC) services and was not talking to ATC directly at the time of the accident. At 1434 the pilot reported he was “losing elevator control” on emergency frequency 121.5. He repeated that he was losing elevator control and that he was in the vicinity of Carter Lake prior to the last radar return.

The airplane impacted rolling terrain about one mile north and west of the southwest corner of Carter Lake and was substantially damaged by impact forces and post impact fire. The aircraft impacted an approximately 5 foot tall bush at a nose down angle of 30 to 40 degrees with the wings level. After impacting the bush the aircraft impacted a rocky, dry creek bed, before separating into multiple pieces as it traveled up hill. The aircraft was located in two main areas along the wreckage path. The empennage, lower fuselage, and engine were located together while the wings and upper cabin were located further along the wreckage path. A grass fire, consuming approximately 2 acres, occurred after the accident. The debris field was about 200 feet long, 150 feet wide, and aligned on a 355 magnetic heading.

The three propeller blades were separated from the engine and located within 40 feet of the impact point. Each blade exhibited leading edge gouging. Two of the blade tips were broken and one blade exhibited S-type bending. Flight control continuity was established from the elevator, elevator trim tab, and the rudder to the cockpit. The direct aileron cables were traced from the aileron bell cranks to the cabin door posts were the cables exhibited evidence of tension overload separation. The aileron and flap interconnect cables were traced through each wing.

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