Cessna 210F accident near Manteo, North Carolina, May 26, 1992
On May 26, 1992 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna 210F, registered N5811F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Manteo, North Carolina. 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
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES, IN THAT HE FAILED TO NOTE THE DISCHARGE OF ELECTRICAL POWER ON THE AMMETER, AND HIS LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING THE OFF AIRPORT LANDING. FACTORS WERE THE DISABLED ALTERNATOR AND A LOW CLOUD CEILING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 1992 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Manteo, North Carolina · 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 210F · all 210Fs on the register
- Registration
- N5811F · no longer on the register · serial 21058811
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CRUISE FLIGHT IN INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, TOTAL ELECTRICAL POWER WAS LOST. THE PILOT FLEW EAST UNTIL HE BELIEVED HE WAS OVER WATER & DESCENDED BELOW THE OVERCAST. HE FLEW BACK TO DRY LAND AND EVENTUALLY ELECTED TO LAND ON A ROAD, WHEN THE CEILING CONTINUED TO LOWER. THE AIRPLANE LANDED FAST, WITH THE FLAPS RETRACTED, ON A HIGHWAY. HE SAID HE LANDED TO ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD BECAUSE OF ELECTRICAL WIRES ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE. THE RIGHT WHEEL DROPPED OFF OF THE PAVEMENT AND THE AIRPLANE VEERED INTO A DITCH BESIDE THE ROAD. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ALTERNATOR BELT HAD SEPARATED. AN AMMETER IS INSTALLED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, & WAS FOUND TO BE OPERABLE AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE OWNER'S MANUAL, BEFORE LANDING CHECKLIST, STATES THAT THE FLAPS SHOULD BE LOWERED, & A SPEED OF 75-85 MPH USED DURING LANDING.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,545 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 22, 1991; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 39N Princeton NJ at 10:36 am
- Destination: CAE Columbia SC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft; not recorded at 700 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from MQI, 8 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.
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.