Cessna T210 accident near Ketchikan, Alaska, August 2, 2008
On August 2, 2008 at about 3:06 am local time, a Cessna T210, registered N59214, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Ketchikan, Alaska (Ketchikan airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to ensure that there was sufficient fuel on board the airplane for the planned flight, and his inadequate flight planning and navigation, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and ditching short of the planned destination. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's geographic disorientation during his approach to the airport.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 2008 · about 3:06 am local time
- Place
- Ketchikan, Alaska · Ketchikan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210 · all T210s on the register
- Registration
- N59214 · no longer on the register · serial 21060164
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot departed on an instrument flight rules (IFR), personal, cross-country flight after requesting that his airplane's fuel tanks be filled. The destination airport was about 521 nautical miles away. IFR conditions prevailed along the en route portion of the flight, but visual conditions prevailed at the destination airport. The airplane's fuel capacity was 90 gallons, and the engine consumed about 16.5 gallons per hour. The airplane was in cruise flight above the clouds and the pilot requested a visual approach from the south when he was about 19 miles southeast of the destination airport. The airport does not have terminal radar coverage, and is served by a flight service station. The request for a visual approach was not approved due to mountain obscuration south of the airport. The pilot was cleared for the ILS distance measuring equipment (DME) approach. The pilot was initially uncertain of his approach options, which included a radial transition to the localizer, outbound on the localizer with a procedure turn, or a no-procedure turn at 40 DME. He eventually understood and accepted the radial transition clearance, which required him to intercept the localizer course inbound on a 35-mile DME arc. As the airplane approached the inbound localizer heading, the pilot did not make the inbound turn. Air Route Traffic Control Center and Flight Service Station (FSS) personnel made various attempts to contact the pilot to request that he execute a missed approach procedure, but there was no immediate response. The pilot eventually reported that he had descended into visual conditions, but indicated that he was not sure where he was in relation to the airport. He determined his position and began to fly toward the airport at 3,000 feet. Communication with the airplane was garbled and broken for a short while since the airplane was now about 27 miles west of the airport. FSS personnel requested assistance from other airplanes in the area to locate the accident airplane and relay radio communications. About 7 minutes before the accident, the pilot radioed that he was low on fuel and probably would not make it to the airport. He ditched the airplane about 5.4 miles west-northwest of the airport after his fuel supply was exhausted. The pilot and the sole passenger escaped the sinking airplane and were rescued by a float-equipped airplane that had responded to the FSS request for assistance. The pilot reported that he missed the inbound turn onto the localizer because his autopilot failed to capture the localizer. He also said that during the flight headwinds were greater than expected, the cloud ceiling at the destination airport was lower than expected, and the fuel vendor at the departure airport may have not completely filled the fuel tanks to their maximum capacity. The pilot said that he did not visually inspect the fuel tanks prior to departure and that there was no mechanical malfunction of the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (IFR initial approach)
- Fuel exhaustion during approach defining event
- Ditching during approach
The NTSB's findings
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusio › Geographic disorient (lost) › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Water › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,652 hours in all; 2,485 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 29, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,248 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 12, 2007; 82 hours since
- Seats: 3300
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KBLI Bellingham WA at 5:30 pm
- Destination: PAKT Ketchikan AK
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,500 ft; a few clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from PAKT, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.