Cessna 210N accident near Diboll, Texas, February 7, 1987
On February 7, 1987, a Cessna 210N, registered N6497N, was destroyed in an accident near Diboll, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- February 7, 1987
- Place
- Diboll, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210N · all 210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6497N · no longer on the register · serial 21063071
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT WAS DESTROYED WHEN IT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN AN UNCONTROLLED ATTITUDE AT HIGH SPEED. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PVT PLT HAD FILED IFR AND DEPARTED INTO M80VC 5 L-F WEATHER WITH TOPS ABOVE 8,000'. ABOUT 20 MINUTES AFTER DEPARTURE, THE PLT REPORTED TO THE CONTROLLER THAT HE WAS EXPERIENCEING INSTRUMENT PROBLEMS. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE PLT BECAME TOTALLY DISORIENTED AND ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED DESCENT. INVESTIGATION DID NOT REVEAL AN MECHANICAL FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION ON THE ACFT, ENGINE OR INSTRUMENT SYSTEMS. ATC TRANSCRIPTS INDICATED THAT THE PLT WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH IFR PROCEDURES AND TECHNIQUES AND THAT HE APPEARED TO BE CONFUSED ABOUT THE CLEARANCE AND HOW TO EXECUTE IT. THE PLT'S LAST IFR INSTRUCTION HAD BEEN ALMOST 2 YEARS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,483 hours in all; 638 in this make and model; 14 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,393 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 638 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 6, 1986; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO 520 L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OCH Nacogdoches TX
- Destination: AUS Austin TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 320° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.