Cessna 210MII accident near Detroit, Michigan, July 6, 1985
On July 6, 1985 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Cessna 210MII, registered N29008, was substantially damaged in an accident near Detroit, Michigan (Detroit City airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
- July 6, 1985 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Detroit, Michigan · Detroit City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210MII · all 210MIIs on the register
- Registration
- N29008 · no longer on the register · serial 21062486
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CONTACTED A TREE DURING A FORCED LANDING IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA FOLLOWING A LOSS OF PWR. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED THE RIGHT FUEL TANK CONTAINED FUEL AND THE LEFT TANK WAS DRY, THE LEFT WING FUEL VENT WAS INSTALLED BACKWARDS AND THE FUEL SELECTOR HAD 15 DEGS OF MOVEMENT WHEN A TANK WAS SELECTED. THE FUEL DISTRIBUTION VALVE, FUEL PUMP AND FUEL STRAINER WERE ALSO DRY. THE ENG OPERATED NORMALLY WHEN TESTED WITH THE FUEL SELECTOR POSITIONED ON THE RIGHT TANK.
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: 1,500 hours in all; 1,030 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 1,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,994 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 28, 1985; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3HA Lansing IL at 6:00 pm
- Destination: DET Detroit MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:22 pm from DET
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.
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.