Cessna T210N accident near Orla, Texas, January 3, 1983
On January 3, 1983 at about 10:38 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N5289Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Orla, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- January 3, 1983 · about 10:38 pm local time
- Place
- Orla, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5289Y · registry record · serial 21064153
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON THE 2ND LEG OF HIS DAILY CHECK RUN FROM DALLAS TO EL PASO THE PILOT REPORTED TO FT WORTH ARTCC THAT HE HAD AN ENGINE FAILURE AND WAS GOING TO LAND ON A ROAD. HE DID NOT MAKE THE ROAD AND LANDED IN OPEN TERRAIN WITH THE LANDING GEAR UP. FUEL SYSTEM CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED DUE TO REMOVAL OF THE WINGS AND IMPACT DAMAGE TO THE HEADER TANKS. ACCORDING TO COMPANY RECORDS AND THE PILOTS STATEMENT THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AMPLE FUEL IN BOTH TANKS AT THE TIME OF THE POWER FAILURE. THE ENGINE WAS TEST RUN AND MET ALL PARAMETERS DURING THE TEST.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,025 hours in all; 770 in this make and model; 340 in the last 90 days; 2,810 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,320 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 30, 1982; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mutual Air Express
The flight
- Departed from: Brownwood TX at 8:30 pm
- Destination: El Paso TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 am from INK1, 45 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.
Other NTSB records under N5289Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.