Cessna T210N accident near Mineral Wells, Texas, June 15, 1985
On June 15, 1985 at about 2:45 am local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N6993N, was destroyed in an accident near Mineral Wells, Texas (Mineral Wells Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 15, 1985 · about 2:45 am local time
- Place
- Mineral Wells, Texas · Mineral Wells Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6993N · registry record · serial 21063202
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT EXPERIENCED ENGINE POWER FAILURE DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION FOR UNKNOWN REASONS SINCE ABOUT 30 GALLONS OF FUEL SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON BOARD WHEN THE CRASH OCCURRED. THE PILOT WAS VECTORED TOWARD THE NEAREST AIRPORT BUT WAS UNABLE TO REACH IT AND CRASHED INTO A ROUGH AND ROCKY TREE-COVERED HILLSIDE ABOUT ONE-HALF MILE SHORT OF THE APPROACH END OF THE INTENDED RUNWAY. AN OPERATIONAL CHECK OF THE ENGINE AT A LATER DATE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ABNORMALITIES.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,175 hours in all; 596 in this make and model; 293 in the last 90 days; 1,047 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,420 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 18, 1985; 117 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSI0-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Executive Air Charter, INC
The flight
- Departed from: ABI Abilene TX at 2:02 am
- Destination: DFW Dfw Airport TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 4,325 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 am from FTW, 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 N6993N the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW85FA257.