Cessna 210L accident near Hilton Head, South Carolina, February 26, 1982
On February 26, 1982, a Cessna 210L, registered CGMYL, was destroyed in an accident near Hilton Head, South Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 26, 1982
- Place
- Hilton Head, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210L · all 210Ls on the register
- Registration
- CGMYL · no longer on the register · serial 21060652
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT 1630 EST, NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE NEXT RADIO CONTACT WITH THE AIRCRAFT WAS BY BEAUFORT MARINE CORPS AIR STATION APPROACH CONTROL WHEN THE CONTROLLER TRANSMITTED THE ALTIMETER SETTING AND THE PILOT ACKNOWLEDGED. APPROXIMATELY 7 MINUTES LATER, THE PILOT REQUESTED AND RECEIVED VECTORS TO THE HILTON HEAD AIRPORT. AT 1947, THE PILOT WAS TOLD THAT HIS GYRO MIGHT BE ABOUT 30 DEGREES OFF AND WAS GIVEN A REVISED HEADING. APPROXIMATELY 2 MINUTES LATER, THE CONTROLLER TRANSMITTED "MIKE YANKEE LIMA, TURN RIGHT NOW, HEADING TWO FIVE ZERO". THE PILOT'S ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THAT STATEMENT WAS THE LAST TRANSMISSION RECEIVED FROM CGMYL. A SEARCH ENSUED, BUT NO MAJOR PIECES OF WRECKAGE WERE RECOVERED. A PLOT OF THE AIRCRAFT'S FLIGHT PATH REVEALED THAT ITS HEADING CHANGED BACK AND FORTH 5 TIMES IN THE LAST 2 MINUTES OF RECORDED FLIGHT. THREE PIECES OF WRECKAGE WASHED UP ON SHORE. ALL WERE IDENTIFIED AS BELONGING TO A CESSNA 210.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 400 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,444 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520L-3A (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: IAD Chantilly VA at 4:30 pm
- Destination: 49J Hilton Head SC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 070° at 21 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 124°F (51°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:57 pm from NBC, 16 miles away
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.