Cessna T210M accident near Banner Elk, North Carolina, November 5, 1983
On November 5, 1983 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N761VK, was involved in an accident near Banner Elk, North Carolina (Elk River airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 5 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- November 5, 1983 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Banner Elk, North Carolina · Elk River · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N761VK · no longer on the register · serial 21062551
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE PLT OBTAINED WX FOR ASHVILLE & HICKORY, NC & FOR THE TRI-CITY ARPT, ALL OF WHICH WERE 30 TO 54 MI FROM BANNER ELK, NC. AT THAT TIME, HE TOLD THE BRIEFER THAT THERE WERE CLOUDS AT BANNER ELK, BUT HE THOUGHT HE COULD GET OUT ALL RIGHT. THE ACFT DEPARTED TO THE NORTHWEST, BUT CRASHED A SHORT TIME LATER, ABOUT 1/2 MI WEST FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RWY. IMPACT OCCURRED ON DOWNHILL TERRAIN WHILE IN A STEEP DIVE ON A HEADING OF 160 DEG. ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 3833 FT. SOME WITNESSES STATED THAT THE ENG SURGED 2 OR 3 TIMES, THEN SPEEDED UP & WAS RUNNING AT IMPACT. ANOTHER WITNESS, A STUDENT PLT, STATED THAT THE ENG SOUNDED NORMAL THRU-OUT THE FLT. ALL WITNESSES AGREED THAT THE ACFT WAS IN THE CLOUDS PRIOR TO THE CRASH. ACCORDING TO AN NTSB WX STUDY, THE CLOUD BASES WOULD HAVE BEEN AT ABOUT THE 4000 FT LEVEL. WITNESSES STATED THAT AN OVERCAST WAS APRX 'HALFWAY DOWN THE MOUNTAIN,' OBSCURING THE PEAKS. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE/MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. STUDENT PLT NOT ENDORSED FOR X-COUNTRY.
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: student
- Flight time: 498 hours in all; 176 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 459 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,272 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, November 3, 1984; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5A7 Banner Elk NC at 12:55 pm
- Destination: AWO Auburn AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 4,600 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Observation at 8:00 am from TRI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.