Cessna T210N accident near Ravenna, Ohio, April 11, 1985
On April 11, 1985 at about 1:50 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N9596Y, was destroyed in an accident near Ravenna, Ohio (Portage County airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- April 11, 1985 · about 1:50 pm local time
- Place
- Ravenna, Ohio · Portage County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N9596Y · no longer on the register · serial 21064556
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT DEPARTED PORT COLUMBUS UNEVENTFULLY, FLEW FOR APRX 40 MINS THEN SHOT A VOR APCH TO THE MDA AT PORTAGE COUNTY. THIS FLD DOES NOT HAVE A WX REPORTING FACILITY. THE PLT THEN PERFORMED A MISSED APCH UPON REACHING MDA. DURING THE MISSED APCH AND AFTER ACKNOWLEDGING TWO ATC RADIO CALLS, HE DROPPED OFF RADAR AT APRX 600 FT AGL. THE ACFT CRASHED ONE MILE FROM THE FLD, LEFT OF THE NORMAL MISSED APCH GROUND TRACK. A WITNESS HEARD THE ENG RUNNING JUST PRIOR TO IMPACT. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NOTHING THAT WOULD CAUSE DIFFICULTY EXCEPT AN ELEVATOR JACK-SCREW SETTING THAT WOULD EQUATE TO NOSE DOWN TRIM FORCE. DAMAGE TO VIRTUALLY ALL ACFT COMPONENTS WAS EXTENSIVE. THE PLT EARNED HIS IFR RATING 3 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, BUT CLAIMED 33.6 HRS OF ACTUAL IFR FLYING SINCE HIS IFR CHECKOUT. HE HAS 4.3 HRS LOGGED IN THE CESSNA 210. THE RADAR EQUIPPED, TURBOCHARGED 310 HP CESSNA 210 WAS THE MOST COMPLICATED ACFT THE PLT WAS QUALIFIED TO FLY.
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: 360 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 97 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 301 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 933 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 31, 1985; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CMH Columbus OH at 1:00 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Sky: overcast at 150 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.