Cessna 210M accident near Tolar, Texas, November 16, 2003
On November 16, 2003 at about 2:35 pm local time, a Cessna 210M, registered N777SG, was destroyed in an accident near Tolar, Texas (Granbury Municipal Airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's improper pre-flight planning and loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factor was the fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 16, 2003 · about 2:35 pm local time
- Place
- Tolar, Texas · Granbury Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210M · all 210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N777SG · registry record · serial 21061903
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff, the non-instrument rated private pilot reported over the radio that the engine was losing power and she was turning back to the departure airport. She said that she was unable to maintain altitude and was descending into fog. Her husband, who heard her radio transmissions, told her to lower the landing gear and flaps in an attempt to slow the airplane down. He then departed in his airplane to assist her. The pilot's husband said he saw a plume of black smoke about 5 miles southeast of the airport and flew over the sight, but was unable to see the ground due to fog, which was about 500 feet thick. The 150-hour pilot did not receive a weather briefing before departing. Weather reported at the destination airport, about 23 nautical miles away, included 1/4-mile visibility, fog, and an overcast ceiling at 100 feet. Examination of the airplane and engine revealed no mechanical deficiencies.
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: 150 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 115 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 21, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 20, 2003
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GDJ Granbury TX at 2:30 pm
- Destination: SEP Stephenville TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,603 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 2:25 pm from GDJ, 5 miles away
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.