NTSB Factual Report

On August 29, 2018, about 2035 mountain standard time, a Cessna P210, N6500W, impacted terrain short of the runway in Prescott, Arizona. The pilot, who was the registered owner, was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The airline transport pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The personal local flight departed from Ernest A Love Field Airport, Prescott, Arizona, about five minutes prior to the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed.

The purpose of the flight was for the pilot to acquire night currency by performing three practice touch-and-go takeoffs and landings. He initially attempted to have air traffic controllers (ATC) clear him to perform the landings on runway 21L, but a controller relayed to the pilot that the traffic pattern was full. Thereafter, he accepted to stay in the traffic pattern for 21R.

A review of the preliminary radar track data indicated that after departure, the airplane adjoined a right traffic pattern for runway 21R. On the downwind leg, the track continued toward the runway and it appeared the airplane was close to being above the approach end. The track then progressed into a long teardrop-shaped 180° turn by first heading northeast. At 2.8 nautical miles (nm) from the approach end of runway 21R, the airplane's heading turned right toward the runway. The track continued toward to the southwest making a few shifts consistent with the pilot correcting the airplane to become aligned with 21R. The last recorded plot was at 2034:17 and located 740 feet northeast of the accident site. At that time, the airplane was about 5,050 ft mean sea level (msl), equating to about 145 ft above ground level (agl), at a ground speed of 99 kts.

The accident site was located in the desert terrain about 1,890 ft from the approach end of runway 21R (reference: figure 01). In character, the terrain was composed of dry, soft dirt and prairie grass. The wreckage was found distributed over a 240 ft distance on a median magnetic bearing of about 222°.

The main wreckage consisted of a majority of the airframe and engine and was consumed by fire. The main wreckage came to rest on a heading of about 270°. The remaining wreckage was found in the debris field and adjacent to the main wreckage and principally consisted of the outboard left wing, the nose landing gear doors, a propeller blade, and nose cowling pieces. From the start of the debris field about 80 ft toward the main wreckage an approximate 2 ft high soft, dirt berm stretched in a southwest-northeast orientation (reference: figure 02).

The first identified points of contact consisted of disrupted dirt and grass on the flat desert terrain making up the far northeastern end of the debris field (reference: figure 03). The markings started as two nearly parallel indentations in the vegetation and dirt spaced about 110 inches apart. The craters were in the same location in the debris path and continued southwest toward the main wreckage. A center indentation appeared about 96 inches down the debris field and was spaced equally between the right and left craters. The craters were consistent in size and orientation to that of the landing gear wheels.

The wreckage was recovered for further examination.