Cessna 501 accident near Smyrna, TN
On May 29, 2021, a Cessna 501 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Smyrna, TN. 7 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 29, 2021
- Place
- Smyrna, TN
- Aircraft
- Cessna 501 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 7 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 36.033°N, 86.481°W
- NTSB ID
- 20210529103165
Official records · ERA21FA234
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Air Traffic Control Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 29, 2021, about 1055 central standard time, N66BK, a Cessna Citation CE-501, was destroyed when it impacted Lake Percy Priest shortly after takeoff from Smyrna Airport (MQY), Smyrna, Tennessee. The pilot, pilot-rated passenger, and five passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. The pilot filed an instrument flight rules flight plan and was destined for the Palm Beach International (PBI) Airport, West Palm Beach, Florida. He purchased 414 gallons of Jet A fuel prior to the flight, which topped off the fuel tanks for a total of 574 gallons. The pilot then taxied to runway 32. A review of air traffic control communications and radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) revealed the pilot was cleared for takeoff and instructed to turn to a heading of 90° and to climb and maintain 3,000 ft mean sea level (msl). The pilot initially read back the clearance as “at or above 3,000 ft,” and the controller corrected him to climb and maintain 3,000 ft. The airplane departed about 1053:06 and made a climbing right turn to the east and was instructed to contact Nashville departure control. About 1054:27, when the airplane was about 3 miles north of the airport, a departure controller contacted the airplane and asked if they were “on frequency.” The pilot responded and said, “N66BK with you.” The controller then instructed the pilot to turn right heading 130°; however, the pilot did not acknowledge. About 1054:46, the controller asked the pilot if he copied the heading
Probable cause
The pilot’s loss of airplane control during climb due to spatial disorientation.
More accidents in TN
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Browse: Tennessee · Cessna aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
