Cessna P210N accident near Chesterfield, Virginia, May 6, 1998
On May 6, 1998 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna P210N, registered N4543K, was destroyed in an accident near Chesterfield, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate in-flight planning/decision which led to fuel exhaustion and subsequent loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 1998 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Chesterfield, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4543K · no longer on the register · serial P21000212
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane departed on a cross-country flight with an undetermined amount of fuel and flew approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes before it experienced a loss of engine power. The airplane crashed in a wooded area approximately 2 miles from the destination airport during the subsequent forced landing. According to a State Police Officer the passenger stated they '...ran out of fuel and crashed.' Examination of the aircraft wreckage revealed that both wing tanks contained no fuel, and the fuel line to the flow divider contained only about a spoonful of fuel. The engine ran to rated power in a test cell after the accident. During the test, the engine driven fuel pump exhibited high pressure and flow rates at full power.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,756 hours in all; 1,380 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,388 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 7, 1998; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BOW Bartow FL at 4:00 pm
- Destination: FCI VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from RIC, 11 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.