Ya know, it's a hey of a lot better than sitting in a nursing home,

Supercubber wrote:Both these guys are flying legends.

Yeager may come off as a jerk when reading his quotes, but to hear him talk in his country boy twang/slang you would have a completely different take on him. The guy pretty much says it like it is with no sugar coating, whether his statements are politically correct or not is for you to figure out as he could care less.

NTSB Identification: CHI06MA115
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, April 19, 2006 in Ludville, GA
Aircraft: Cessna 210A, registration: N6579X
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.

On April 19, 2006, at approximately 1110 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 210A, N6579X, owned and piloted by a commercial pilot, descended into remote mountainous terrain near Ludville, Georgia, after entering an area of thunderstorms. The pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 while on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan. The accident flight departed Prattville - Grouby Field Airport (1A9), Prattville, Alabama, at 1005, and was en route to Manassas Regional/Harry P. Davis Field Airport (HEF), Manassas, Virginia.

At 1018, the pilot checked-on with Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) and was subsequently handled by four sectors. The accident airplane was cleared to 11,000 feet mean sea level (msl). The pilot was not issued weather advisories or related SIGMETS, according to Atlanta ARTCC voice communications. At 1109:28, the pilot asked to deviate to the south due to weather. Atlanta ARTCC approved the turn to the south, but radar contact was lost at 1110:02 at 5,500 feet msl. A plot of the aircraft radar track data indicated that the airplane entered a level 6 thunderstorm prior to the loss of radar contact.

The airplane impacted about 3.3 nautical miles (nm) northwest of Ludville, Georgia, in rugged wooded terrain. The associated debris was located in two general areas, situated about 1 nm apart from each other. The wreckage distribution was consistent with a low altitude in-flight breakup.

The main wreckage was situated in a four foot deep crater. There was limited damage to the overhead tree canopy, consistent with a near vertical descent path. The main wreckage consisted of the cockpit, engine, propeller, left and right main wing spars, nose and main landing gear, left and right flap, and portions of the empennage. The second area of wreckage consisted of portions of the left and right wing leading edges, the upper portion of the vertical stabilizer leading edge and tip rib, a small section of aileron and the left cabin door. The two ailerons and the outboard portion of the right elevator were not recovered during the on-scene investigation. Two of the three propeller blades were recovered, both of which exhibit chordwise scratches and blade twist. All four corners of the airplane were identified; cockpit/engine, left wing, empennage, right wing, and fuselage. The major airframe components, engine, and recovered propeller blades were transported to a local Department of Transportation accident reconstruction yard.

A two-dimensional wreckage layout confirmed flight control cable circuit continuity for ailerons, elevators, and rudder. The flaps and landing gear were fully retracted. Functional testing and disassembly of the wet vacuum pump showed no evidence of pre-impact failure. No gyros instruments were found intact. No liberated gyros were found at the accident site. The on-scene investigation did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies that would have prevented the normal operation of the airplane or its related systems.

... The wreckage distribution was consistent with a low altitude in-flight breakup...

...The on-scene investigation did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies that would have prevented the normal operation of the airplane or its related systems.