Cessna C-T210 accident near Sleeper Bay, Alaska, August 6, 1990
On August 6, 1990, a Cessna C-T210, registered N6016N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sleeper Bay, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER FUEL TANK SELECTION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1990
- Place
- Sleeper Bay, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna C-T210
- Registration
- N6016N · no longer on the register · serial 21062884
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT AT 600 FEET MSL THE ENGINE QUIT. THE PILOT THEN MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON A SMALL GRAVEL BAR. THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. THE PILOT AND THREE PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THE LEFT FUEL TANK HAD APPROXIMATELY 15 GALLONS OF FUEL. THE RIGHT FUEL TANK WAS DRY.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,850 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 2,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 19, 1990; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental ISIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRI Anchorage AK at 7:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.