Cessna T210N accident near San Augustine, Texas, September 26, 1984
On September 26, 1984 at about 6:28 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N6399Y, was destroyed in an accident near San Augustine, Texas. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. 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
- September 26, 1984 · about 6:28 pm local time
- Place
- San Augustine, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6399Y · no longer on the register · serial 21064365
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING IN A FIELD WHILE ON A IFR FLIGHT AFTER HIS ENGINE FAILED. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SHORT OF THE SELECTED TOUCHDOWN POINT, IMPACTED TREES AND EXPERIENCED A HARD LANDING. IT THEN CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED. SUBSEQUENT ENGINE EXAMINATION REVEALED THE CRANKSHIFT SEPARATED DURING FLIGHT DUE TO HIGH CYCLIC METAL FATIGUE CRACKING. THE CRACK ORIGINATED ABOUT 0.044 INCH BELOW THE SURFACE IN THE RADIUS AT THE FORWARD END OF THE NO. 3 MAIN BEARING JOURNAL. THE ORIGIN OF THE FATIGUE CRACK WAS IN AN AREA WHICH WAS FREE OF MICROSTRUCTURAL DEFECTS. THE CRANKSHAFT MET THE ENGINEERINGSPECIFICATIONS FOR MATERIAL, HARDNESS, AND NITRIDE THICKNESS.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 831 hours in all; 180 in this make and model; 69 in the last 90 days; 722 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,650 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 20, 1984; 66 hours since
- 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: SGF Springfield MO at 5:00 pm
- Destination: BPT Beaumont TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from LFK, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.