Cessna 210M accident near Charleston, West Virginia, March 5, 1987
On March 5, 1987 at about 6:33 pm local time, a Cessna 210M, registered N1230M, was destroyed in an accident near Charleston, West Virginia (Yeager airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 1987 · about 6:33 pm local time
- Place
- Charleston, West Virginia · Yeager · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210M · all 210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N1230M · registry record · serial 21061925
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED AFTER LANDING TOUCHDOWN. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT ASSUME A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE AND HEARD SOME POWER APPLIED TO THE ENGINE AS THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT. IT WAS NOT DETERMINED WHETHER THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO ABORT THE LANDING OR REGAIN CONTROL AND COMPLETE THE LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO VEER RIGHT TO A POINT 173 FEET RIGHT OF THE RUNWAY PAVEMENT WHERE IT COLLIDED WITH A DIRT BANK AT THE EDGE OF A DEEP RAVINE. THEREAFTER, THE AIRCRAFT DOVE INTO THE RAVINE AND IMPACTED ON THE NOSE WHILE IN A NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,967 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,405 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 22, 1985; 282 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CKB Clarksburg WV at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 6,302 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:38 pm from CRW
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number BFO87FA026.