A Cessna 210 lost its engine shortly after taking off from Louisiana Regional Airport in Gonzales, Louisiana, early on Tuesday 13 October, and came to rest upside down in a field near the airport12. The 74-year-old pilot survived with a minor cut to his head23. Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre told WAFB that the engine separated from the aircraft before it came down; the engine was found on a road away from the wreckage1. The FAA is investigating and the NTSB has been contacted23. No cause has been given.

What is known about the flight

According to the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office, the aircraft crashed shortly after take-off, and the pilot had described a possible malfunction before it did so13. The nature of that malfunction has not been made public. Open ADS-B data archived by adsb.lol for N1329U, registered to a Gonzales company according to the FAA registry7, show it departing northbound at 04:58 local time and then turning right; the data stop about 23 seconds after the first received position8. AvBrief, citing the Aviation Safety Network, described a climbing right turn at about 90 knots when the track ended4. Authorities have not said at what height the engine separated5.

Gonzales Fire Chief Preston Landry told WBRZ that the aircraft came down about half a mile from the runway and that the engine lay about 100 yards from the airframe2. He told Louisiana First News that the fire department was notified at around 5:55 am and that the aircraft was in a field about 500 yards from the northern end of the runway3. AvBrief reported that the engine lay at the edge of a paved road and that the pilot was the only occupant4.

The pilot and the conditions

When crews arrived at about 6 am, the pilot was walking around the scene with minor injuries, Landry said2. He was assessed by medical staff on site and declined to go to hospital by ambulance3. His name has not been released. The fire chief described foggy conditions around the time of the accident5. The airport's automated weather report at 04:55 local time gave calm wind, good visibility and a broken cloud layer at about 200 feet; the report twenty minutes later recorded dense fog9. Whether the weather had any bearing on the accident is not known.

The aircraft

The Cessna 210 Centurion is a six-seat, high-wing, single-engine aeroplane with retractable landing gear, built by Cessna from 1957 to 198611. WBRZ reported that the accident aircraft is registered to a company based in Gonzales2. The FAA registry lists N1329U as a 1982 Cessna 210N with a Continental IO-520 series piston engine, registered to a Gonzales company7. Officials have not confirmed the registration.

How the investigation will proceed

The NTSB describes a general process for every investigation: notification and a decision to investigate, fact gathering on site and beyond, analysis and a probable cause determination, a final report and, where warranted, safety recommendations10. The phases overlap, and the agency says it generally tries to complete an investigation within 12 to 24 months10. Whether NTSB investigators will travel to Gonzales has not been publicly stated. In the fatal Piper PA-46 crash in Wisconsin earlier this week, the NTSB said a preliminary report would follow within 30 days12.

Frequently asked questions

Why did the engine come off the Cessna 210?

That is not known. Authorities have not established why the engine separated65.

Was anyone seriously hurt?

No. The pilot, the only reported occupant, had a minor head cut and declined hospital transport34.

Who is investigating?

The FAA is investigating, and the NTSB has been contacted23.