Cessna T210N accident near Louisville, Kentucky, January 12, 1996
On January 12, 1996 at about 1:20 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N5218A, was destroyed in an accident near Louisville, Kentucky (Bowman Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's misjudgment of the fuel supply, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion during final approach to the destination airport. Factors relating to the accident were: terrain conditions and vehicles in the emergency landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 1996 · about 1:20 pm local time
- Place
- Louisville, Kentucky · Bowman Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5218A · no longer on the register · serial T21063313
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that as he neared the destination airport, the right fuel tank ran out of fuel, so he switched to the left tank. He stated that the left fuel quantity gage indicated that it contained about 1/4 tank of fuel. The pilot reported that when the airplane was about 2-1/2 miles from the destination airport, the engine sputtered and lost power. The pilot's attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful, and he made a forced landing in a residential area about 1/2 mile from the approach end of the runway. The pilot stated that due to traffic and the length of the streets, he was unable to maintain normal glide speed until touchdown. Subsequently, the airplane impacted on a roadway and skidded into a tree. The pilot attributed the accident to fuel exhaustion. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of usable fuel in the airplane fuel system. No fuel odor or fuel stains were noted at the accident site. Visual inspection of the fuel system revealed no indication of a preimpact mechanical failure, and the aircraft maintenance logs '. . . revealed no past discrepancies involving the fuel system.'
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,600 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model; 360 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 3,550 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHA Chattanooga TN at 11:52 am
- Destination: LOU KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32, 3,539 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:30 pm from LOU
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.