Cessna 210B accident near Dubuque, Iowa, December 6, 1993
On December 6, 1993 at about 1:57 am local time, a Cessna 210B, registered N9684X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Dubuque, Iowa (Dubque Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FLIGHT BY THE PILOT INTO KNOWN ICING CONDITIONS, WHICH RESULTED IN AIRFRAME ICING AND AN INABILITY OF THE AIRCRAFT TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE ON THE ILS GLIDEPATH, ONCE THE LANDING GEAR WAS LOWERED. THE WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE RELATED FACTORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 6, 1993 · about 1:57 am local time
- Place
- Dubuque, Iowa · Dubque Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210B · all 210Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9684X · no longer on the register · serial 210-57984
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT RECEIVED A FULL WEATHER BRIEFING APPROXIMATELY FIVE AND A HALF HOURS BEFORE DEPARTURE, WHICH INCLUDED AN AIRMET FOR ICING CONDITIONS IN THE AREA. THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE TAKEOFF, HE RECEIVED A WEATHER UPDATE AND WAS GIVEN FOUR PIREPS ABOUT MODERATE TO SEVERE ICING CONDITIONS ALONG HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT. HE REPORTED HEAVY ICING CONDITIONS DURING CRUISE AND EVENTUALLY ADVISED AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. THE PILOT WAS THEN CLEARED FOR THE ILS APPROACH. HE REPORTED THE AIRPLANE HAD TWO INCHES OF ICE ACCUMULATION AND WAS ACCUMULATING MORE. AFTER EXTENDING THE LANDING GEAR AT APPROXIMATELY 800 FEET AGL, THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE ON THE ILS GLIDEPATH AND LANDED SHORT OF THE RUNWAY.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 108 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,967 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 14, 1993; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Wheeling IL
- Destination: DBQ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 6,498 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 am from DBQ, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.