The US National Transportation Safety Board has cited pilot error as well as air traffic controller error as probable causes in the 19 April 2006 crash that killed famed X-15 pilot Scott Crossfield.
Crossfield's Cessna 210A encountered "intense to extreme" thunderstorm activity at 11,000ft (3,330m), after which it "descended rapidly and impacted terrain" near Ludville, Georgia. The NTSB ruled that Crossfield failed to update his pre-take-off weather briefing during the flight, but also that the controller violated Federal Aviation Administration directives by not sharing with Crossfield radar returns showing severe weather in the aircraft's path.
"On the basis of the controller's workload and available resources, he should have recognised that the adverse weather represented an immediate safety hazard to the accident flight and should have provided appropriate advisories to the pilot," the NTSB report says.
Source: Flight International
