Cessna 210-5 accident near Orange Grove, Texas, March 4, 1983
On March 4, 1983 at about 11:30 am local time, a Cessna 210-5, registered N8270Z, was destroyed in an accident near Orange Grove, Texas. 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 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
- March 4, 1983 · about 11:30 am local time
- Place
- Orange Grove, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210-5 · all 210-5s on the register
- Registration
- N8270Z · no longer on the register · serial 205-0270
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS BELIEVED TO HAVE DEPARTED HEBBRONVILLE MUNI ARPT AT ABOUT 0500 CST. WHEN THE ACFT FAILED TO ARRIVE AT ITS DESTINATION, A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND WHERE IT CRASHED IN AN AREA OF MESQUITE TREES & BRUSH, ABOUT HALFWAY BETWEEN THE DEPARTURE POINT & THE DESTINATION. AN EXAM OF THE CRASH SITE REVEALED THE ACFT CRASHED WHILE IN ABOUT A 15 DEG RIGHT BANK, SLIGHTLY NOSE LOW ATTITUDE. ABOUT 5 MI SOUTH-SOUTHWEST, THE 0559 CST ALICE WX WAS: MEASURED 600 FT OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 3 MI WITH FOG. NO EVIDENCE OF A PREIMPACT, MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION OR FAILURE WAS FOUND.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,031 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 03XS Hebbronville TX at 11:00 am
- Destination: 3R0 Beeville TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded at 600 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:59 am from ALI, 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.