Cessna T210M accident near Troy, Michigan, August 13, 1983
On August 13, 1983 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N732NJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Troy, Michigan (Troy-Oakland airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 13, 1983 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Troy, Michigan · Troy-Oakland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N732NJ · no longer on the register · serial 21061641
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES DURING A FORCED LANDING. THE PILOT STATED HE HAD USED ALL THE FUEL IN ONE TANK. HE CONTINUED FLT TO TROY-OAKLAND ADVISING DETROIT OF HIS FUEL STATE. DETROIT APPROACH VECTORED HIM TO THE ARPT BUT THE PILOT CLAIMED HE COULD NOT ACTIVATE THE RWY LIGHTS BY KEYING HIS MIKE. HE CIRCLED THE ARPT 6 TIMES BEFORE APPROACHING FOR A DOWNWIND LANDING. TURNING ON BASE LEG FUEL EXHAUSTION OCCURRED. THE RWY LIGHTS WERE OUT OF SERVICE WAS THE SUBJECTOF A NOTAM DATED 8/10/83. THE PILOT HAD PREVIOUSLY USED THIS ARPT WHEN THE LIGHTS WERE PARTIALLY INOPERABLE. THE PILOT AND ARPT MANAGER CHECKED THE LIGHTS THE DAY AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND 30 PERCENT OF THE LIGHTS FUNCTIONED PROPERLY. THE FUEL INJECTOR CONTROL VALVE WAS FOUND TO BE CALIBRATED RICHER THAN CALLED FOR BY THE MFGR'S SPECS.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 563 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 477 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,009 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 1983; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8D4 Sparta MI at 1:40 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 3,855 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from DET, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.