Cessna T210R accident near Iowa City, Iowa, September 28, 1995
On September 28, 1995 at about 2:32 am local time, a Cessna T210R, registered N650GM, was destroyed in an accident near Iowa City, Iowa (Iowa City Municipal airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel exhaustion as a result of the pilot's inadequate preflight and lack of familiarity with the airplane. Factors involved were the bright night, trees and transmission wires.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 1995 · about 2:32 am local time
- Place
- Iowa City, Iowa · Iowa City Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed, 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210R · all T210Rs on the register
- Registration
- N650GM · no longer on the register · serial 21064998
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The day before the accident, the airplane had flown from Newton, KS to Oklahoma City, OK, then to Shawnee, OK, and return to Newton, KS. It was not refueled. That same day, the operator made a business arrangement with the passengers to have them flown round trip from Tulsa, OK, to Iowa City, IA. The operator contacted the pilot requesting that he fly the Cessna 210. The pilot accepted although he had never flown a Cessna 210. The next day, after a 1/2-hour checkout at Newton, KS, the pilot flew to Tulsa, OK to pick up the passengers. While approaching Tulsa, the pilot reported that the fuel gauges indicated empty. The refuelers were told to top off the fuel tanks. The refueler put on 48.8 gals of fuel; the airplane held 120 gals total fuel. A passenger paid for the fuel. The pilot did not see the fuel slip nor did he learn that 48.8 gals of fuel had been added. The pilot did not visually check the fuel level during preflight. The pilot reported that he did not believe the fuel gauges were reliable. After 2.6 hours of flight, the airplane impacted trees and power lines 1/2 mile north of Iowa City Airport. There was no indication of fuel on the airplane, nor were there indications of fuel siphoning or leaking.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 782 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 81 in the last 30 days; 693 as pilot in command; 435 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,349 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1995; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-CE (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RVS Tulsa OK
- Destination: IOW
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 160° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from IOW, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.