Cessna T210N accident near Dothan, Alabama, May 17, 1986
On May 17, 1986 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N1239U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dothan, Alabama (Dothan airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 1986 · about 12:00 pm local time · cases in 1986
- Place
- Dothan, Alabama · Dothan · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N1239U · not in the FAA's current or past register files · serial 64678
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH FOR LANDING THE AIRCRAFT LOST TOTAL POWER AND THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A FORCED LANDING ON A ROAD. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ACROSS THE ROAD AND RAN INTO AN OPEN FIELD. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT RAN OUT OF FUEL.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,100 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 724 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 1985; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-AF (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: National Health Care,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: M44 Houston MS at 11:15 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:05 pm from DHN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- Cessna T210 Turbo Centurion 1,282 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,684 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-AF 4 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Dothan Regional · nearest airport
- Houston Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Alabama 1,211 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- Alabama 4,349 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL86LA135.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.