Cessna 210 accident near Knoxville, Tennessee, April 27, 1996
On April 27, 1996 at about 1:54 am local time, a Cessna 210, registered N9432T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Knoxville, Tennessee. It was a business 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 pilot's failure to heed known operating information by not correcting the flight attitude to prevent fuel unporting during a prolonged slipped descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 27, 1996 · about 1:54 am local time
- Place
- Knoxville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210 · all 210s on the register
- Registration
- N9432T · no longer on the register · serial 57232
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a long descent to a straight-in landing approach, the engine quit. Appropriate emergency procedures were applied by the pilot without successfully restarting the engine. The pilot's flight planning indicated that fuel remained in the tanks, which was discovered during the wreckage examination. He also stated that he believed the engine starved of fuel because of unporting fuel from the tank pickup tube during the slipped descent, referencing a Cessna safety supplement on the subject. During the post accident examination of the engine, no fuel was found in the gascolator.
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
- Flight time: 1,295 hours in all; 322 in this make and model; 57 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 1,264 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,570 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 22, 1995; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AOO Altoona PA at 10:30 pm
- Destination: DKX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 320° at 13 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from TYS, 15 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.