Cessna T210N accident near Paducah, Kentucky, November 11, 1985
On November 11, 1985 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N9473Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Paducah, Kentucky (Paducah airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 1985 · about 9:15 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Paducah, Kentucky · Paducah · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N9473Y · registry record · serial 21064518
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER BEING CLEARED FOR DESCENT TO 4,000 FT AND TO THE LOCALIZER THE ACFT LOST TWO WAY COMMUNICATIONS. THE PLT STATED THAT HE LOST HIS HSI AND RADIO'S. HOWEVER, HE WAS ABLE TO FLY IN THE AREA AROUND THE VORTAC FOR ALMOST AN HOUR BEFORE HE DESCENDED THROUGH A OPENING IN THE CLOUDS AND REACHED QLEAR WEATHER UNDER THE OVERCAST. THE PLT COULD NOT LOCATE THE ARPT, FUEL EXHAUSTION OCCURRED AND THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING THE FORCED LANDING. ARTCC COULD HEAR THE PLT TRANSMITTING OCCASIONALLY BUT HE NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED ARTCC INSTRUCTIONS. THE PLT MADE NO ATTEMPT TO FLY TO HIS ALTERNATE.THE ACFT HAD A BACKUP ELECTRICAL VACUUM SYSTEM THAT WAS TESTED AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND FOUND TO BE OPERATIONAL.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 990 hours in all; 350 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 395 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 23, 1985; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STC St.Cloud MN at 4:30 pm
- Destination: PAH Paducah KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:49 pm from PAH, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9473Y on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna T210 Turbo Centurion 1,280 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R 22 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Barkley Regional · nearest airport
- St. Cloud Sky Central Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Kentucky 702 since 1982 · 111 in the last ten years
- Kentucky 2,980 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL86LA023.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.