Cessna T210N accident near Elgin, North Dakota, May 22, 1986
On May 22, 1986 at about 11:45 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N5280A, was destroyed in an accident near Elgin, North Dakota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were 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
- May 22, 1986 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Elgin, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5280A · no longer on the register · serial 21063345
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT RECEIVED WX BRIEFING PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. VFR FLT NOT RECOMMENDED BY FSS. PLT RADIOED THAT HE WAS IN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY, IFR CONDITIONS AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO TURN AROUND. WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY OBSERVED ACFT DESCENDING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED OF A 45 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE. WX AT ACCIDENT SITE WAS LOW CLOUDS AND HEAVY RAIN. PLT HAD A TOTAL FLT TIME OF 89 HOURS AND NO INSTRUMENT RATING.
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
- Flight time: 89 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 51 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,389 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 21, 1986; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aero Ventures
The flight
- Departed from: ABR Aberdeen SD at 9:46 pm
- Destination: GDV Glendive MT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.