Cessna 210-5(205) accident near Beaumont, Texas, April 1, 1984
On April 1, 1984 at about 1:05 am local time, a Cessna 210-5(205), registered N8150Z, was destroyed in an accident near Beaumont, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. 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
- April 1, 1984 · about 1:05 am local time
- Place
- Beaumont, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210-5(205) · all 210-5(205)s on the register
- Registration
- N8150Z · no longer on the register · serial 205-0150
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS FLOWN INTO IMC WX AFTER THE FLT HAD BEEN ADVISED BY THE WX SERVICE THAT VFR FLT WAS BARELY FEASIBLE. NO WX BRIEFING BY FAA WAS RECORDED & NO FLT PLAN WAS FILED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED DURING THE HRS OF DARKNESS. A WITNESS NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE OBSERVED AN ACFT THRU BREAKS IN THE CLOUDS WHICH APPEARED TO BE FLYING UNDER CONTROL ON TOP OF THE CLOUDS OR IN BETWEEN LAYERS OF CLOUDS. A LOUD SOUND WAS HEARD AND THE ACFT WAS SEEN TO FALL OUT OF A SOLID UPPER CLOUD LAYER FOR ABOUT 300-500 FT BEFORE DISAPPEARING INTO A LOWER CLOUD LAYER. SEPARATED COMPONENT OF THE LEFT & RT WINGS OF THE ACFT WERE LOCATED OVER A MILE FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE IMPACT CRATER. THE PLTS LOG DID NOT CONTAIN ANY HISTORY OF HOODED OR INSTRUMENT FLT. NO MEDICAL OR MECHANICAL DISCREPANCIES OF A CAUSAL NATURE WERE FOUND DURING THE POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION.
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
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 201 hours in all; 201 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,888 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 26, 1983; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ACT Waco TX at 11:30 pm
- Destination: LFT Lafayette LA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.