Cessna 210M accident near Howell, Michigan, August 29, 1984
On August 29, 1984 at about 5:45 am local time, a Cessna 210M, registered N732RJ, was destroyed in an accident near Howell, Michigan. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 29, 1984 · about 5:45 am local time
- Place
- Howell, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210M · all 210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N732RJ · registry record · serial 61711
- 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 PLT STATED THAT ABOUT 10 MIN AFTER TAKEOFF, THE FUEL FLOW FLUCTUATED & SLOWLY WENT TO ZERO. HE TURNED THE AUX FUEL PUMP ON, INCREASED THE MIXTURE TO RICH & REPOSITIONED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO ANOTHER TANK, BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE PLT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A LAKE, EXITED THE ACFT & SWAM TO SHORE. AN EXAM OF THE ENG & FUEL SYS DID NOT REVEAL ANY EVIDENCE OF A MECHANICAL FAILURE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,160 hours in all; 339 in this make and model; 369 in the last 90 days; 3,995 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,242 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520L (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pdq Air Charter
The flight
- Departed from: LAN Lansing MI
- Destination: DET Detroit MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 am from LAN, 29 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.