Cessna 210 accident near Kernersville, North Carolina, October 19, 1989
On October 19, 1989, a Cessna 210, registered N1155M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kernersville, North Carolina (Piedmont Triad Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER FUEL CONSUMPTION CALCULATIONS BY THE PILOT, WHICH RESULTED IN FUEL EXHAUSTION FROM LACK OF FUEL. ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 1989
- Place
- Kernersville, North Carolina · Piedmont Triad Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210 · all 210s on the register
- Registration
- N1155M · registry record · serial 21061922
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD PLANNED A 5 HR FLT TO ELKIN, NC. HE ESTD THE ACFT HAD 6.5 HRS OF FUEL ON BOARD. AT ELKIN, HE ATTEMPTED TO LAND FROM AN NDB APCH, BUT MADE A MISSED APCH & DIVERTED TO GREENSBORO, NC. HE OBTAINED VECTORS FOR AN ILS 5 APCH AT GREENSBORO, BUT THE ENG BEGAN LOSING POWER FROM FUEL EXHAUSTION ABOUT 8 MI FROM THE ARPT. SUBSEQUENTLY, IT CRASHED INTO TREES DURING A FORCED LANDING AFTER ABOUT 5.5 HRS OF FLT.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,502 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fmp CO
The flight
- Departed from: Addison TX at 7:00 pm
- Destination: GSO Elkin NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from GSO
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.
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.