Cessna 210L accident near Jeffersontown, Kentucky, March 15, 1987
On March 15, 1987 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 210L, registered N93022, was destroyed in an accident near Jeffersontown, Kentucky. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 1987 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Jeffersontown, Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210L · all 210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N93022 · registry record · serial 210-60219
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING IFR FLIGHT IN VFR CONDITIONS THE PILOT REPORTED LOW FUEL SITUATION TO APPROACH CONTROL. THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN THE VICINITY OF SEVERAL LIGHTED AIRPORTS AT THAT TIME. THE AIRCRAFT LOST POWER AND MADE FORCED LANDING AT NIGHT IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN WHERE AN INFLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN OCCURRED. THE PILOT HAD FILED AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN FROM MIAMI TO KNOXVILLE. THE AIRCRAFT ARRIVED IN THE KNOXVILLE AREA EARLIER THAN PLANNED AND THE PILOT DECIDED THAT SUFFICIENT FUEL REMAINED TO COMPLETE THE FLIGHT TO LOUISVILLE. THE FUEL GAUGES INDICATED TWO HOURS RANGE FOR THE ONE HOUR FLIGHT. DURING PREFLIGHT INSPECTION AT MAIMI THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE RIGHT FUEL TANK WAS FILLED TO FILLER CAP; THE LEFT FUEL TANK WAS FILLED TO A LEVEL THAT COULD BE FLET WITH FINGER TIPS. THERE WAS NO REPORT OF ANY MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE OF THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,723 hours in all; 274 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 1,529 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,629 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 13, 1987; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIA Miami FL at 9:00 pm
- Destination: LOU Louisville KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:03 am from LOU, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.