Cessna 210H accident near Piney Flats, Tennessee, July 1, 1989
On July 1, 1989 at about 1:47 am local time, a Cessna 210H, registered N5939F, was destroyed in an accident near Piney Flats, Tennessee. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER BECOMING SPATIALLY DISORIENTED, AND HIS EXCEEDING THE DESIGN STRESS LIMITS OF THE AIRCRAFT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RECOVER FROM AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, CLOUD CONDITION, PILOT FATIGUE, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF INSTRUMENT EXPERIENCE. .
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 1989 · about 1:47 am local time
- Place
- Piney Flats, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210H · all 210Hs on the register
- Registration
- N5939F · no longer on the register · serial 21058939
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A VFR X-COUNTRY FLT AT NGT, WHEN AN IN-FLT BREAK-UP OCCURRED. SUBSEQUENTLY, WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER ABOUT A 1.4 MI AREA. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THE LEFT WING FAILED IN POSITIVE OVERLOAD APRX 3' OUTBOARD OF THE WING ROOT. THE CABIN DOOR & TAIL SURFACES ALSO SEPD. ALL FRACTURES EXHIBITED EVIDENCE OF OVERLAOD. NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PRE-EXISTING DEFECT WAS FND. THE NON-INST RATED PLT WAS NOT IN CONTACT WITH ANY ATC FACILITY DURING THE FLT. RADAR DATA SHOWED THE ACFT MADE SVRL ALT EXCURSIONS DURING ABOUT A 30 MIN PERIOD BEFORE THE ACDNT. JUST BEFORE DISAPPEARING FM RADAR, THE FLT TRACK DEVIATED TO THE LEFT. THE ACDNT OCCURRED ON A DARK NGT AT ABT 2147 EDT; THOUGH HIS LAST REST PERIOD WAS NOT VERIFIED, THE PLT ROUTINELY SLEPT FM 2100 TO 0400. ABT 5 MI SW AT THE TRI-CITY RGNL ARPT, THE 2152 WX WAS IN PART: 5000 FT SCT, 8500' BKN, 30,000' OVC, VIS 7 MI, WND FM 130 DEG AT 7 KTS. ELEV OF THE WX STATION WAS 1519'. THE ACFT WAS AT 8700' MSL WHEN RADAR CTC WAS LOST.
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: 5,900 hours in all; 4,600 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 20, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Leesburg VA at 11:30 pm
- Destination: Selma AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:52 am from TRI, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.