Cessna P210N accident near Houma, Louisiana, July 4, 1989
On July 4, 1989 at about 6:54 pm local time, a Cessna P210N, registered N5489W, was destroyed in an accident near Houma, Louisiana. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INCAPACITATION OF THE 70 YEAR OLD PILOT, WHICH LED TO THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1989 · about 6:54 pm local time
- Place
- Houma, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5489W · no longer on the register · serial P21000697
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT RECEIVED TWO WEATHER BRIEFINGS AND VFR FLIGHT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED. A VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED BUT WAS NOT ACTIVATED. ENROUTE THE PILOT INFORMED ATC HE WAS DESCENDING FROM 11,500 FEET TO 9,500 FEET. ATC NOTICED A MODE C TRANSPONDER READOUT AT 7,500 FEET, AND ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE PILOT BUT THE PILOT DID NOT RESPOND. WINESSES SAW THE AIRPLANE IN A STEEP DIVE BUT NONE SAW THE GROUND IMPACT. PARTS OF THE RIGHT WING WERE FOUND AS FAR AWAY AS ONE HALF MILE. RECOVERY OF THE ENGINE WAS AT A DEPTH OF AT LEAST 25 FEET. THE ROTOR OF THE ATTITUDE GYRO HAD ROTATIONAL DAMAGE MARKS. NO AUTOPSY WAS PERFORMED AND TOXICOLOGY REPORT WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT. PILOT'S WIFE INDICATED PILOT HAD BEEN PRESCRIBED 'VASOTIC' MEDICINE FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,203 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 22, 1988; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HOU Houston TX at 4:00 pm
- Destination: MOB Mobile AL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from HUM, 8 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.
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.