Cessna 210N accident near Alexander City, Alabama, October 7, 1988
On October 7, 1988, a Cessna 210N, registered N6510N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Alexander City, Alabama (Thomas C Russell Field). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 1988 · cases in 1988
- Place
- Alexander City, Alabama · Thomas C Russell Field · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210N · all 210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6510N · registry record · serial 21063076
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE CRASHED ABOUT 2 MI SHORT OF THE DESTINATION ARPT. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT IT IMPACTED NOSE DOWN AFTER CLEARING TREES; NO ENGINE SOUNDS WERE HEARD. ACCORDING TO RESCUE PERSONNEL, THE PLT INDICATED THAT THERE WERE NO ENGINE OR OTHER MECHANICAL FAILURES; HE INDICATED INSTEAD THAT HE HAD A PROBLEM W/ FUEL. THE PERSONNEL NOTED THAT THEY DIDN'T SMELL ANY FUEL ODOR OR OBSERVE ANY FUEL SPILLAGE AT THE SCENE. EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED ONLY TRACE AMOUNTS OF FUEL IN THE ACFT FUEL SYSTEM. NO EVIDENCE OF FUEL CONTAMINATION OR MECH MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND. THE PLT HAD DEPARTED THE ARPT EARLIER IN THE DAY W/ APPROX 64 GAL OF FUEL ON BOARD. TOTAL CAPACITY IS 89 GAL. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND TO INDICATE THAT ADDITONAL FUEL WAS OBTAINED DURING SUBSEQUENT STOPS. INTERPOLATION OF ACFT PERFORMANCE CHARTS REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD AN EXPECTED ENDURANCE OF ABOUT 4.7 HRS AT 65% PWR, WITH 64 GAL OF USABLE FUEL. THE ACTUAL ELAPSED FLT TIME SINCE REFUELING WAS ABOUT 5 HRS, BASED ON TACH TIME.
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: 740 hours in all; 640 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,253 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 24, 1988; 76 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: Concord NC at 9:30 pm
- Destination: ALX Alexander City AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from MGM, 44 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
- N6510N on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 210 Centurion 1,525 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,678 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L 11 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Thomas C Russell Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Alabama 1,211 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- Alabama 4,355 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL89FA006.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.