Cessna T210M accident near Las Vegas, Nevada, November 24, 2006
On November 24, 2006 at about 4:51 pm local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N977SA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Las Vegas, Nevada (North Las Vegas airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's inadequate fuel consumption calculations and his failure to refuel the airplane during the cross-country flight,.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 2006 · about 4:51 pm local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · North Las Vegas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N977SA · no longer on the register · serial 21061667
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane lost engine power short of the cross-country flight's intended destination and impacted a telephone line during the forced landing attempt. The pilot reported that he was limited in total fuel load (320 pounds or about 53 gallons) prior to departing due to the airplane's maximum gross weight limitation and the passenger and baggage loading. However, he calculated the estimated flight time (estimated to be about 2 hours) and the estimated fuel burn and believed he had adequate fuel on board to safely conduct the flight with a 30-minute fuel reserve. About 15 miles from the destination airport, the right fuel tank ran dry and the engine began to run rough. The pilot switched the fuel selector to the left fuel tank, which at the time had about 45 pounds of fuel indicated. As the airplane neared the destination airport, the engine lost power. The pilot restarted the engine intermittently for a few seconds, but the engine lost power for the final time when the airplane was about 2 miles from the airport. The pilot declared an emergency and conducted a forced landing to a field. The airplane impacted a telephone line as it neared touchdown. The pilot reported to the first responders that he had mismanaged his fuel, and had elected not to refuel at an airport he had passed over that was located 66 nautical miles northeast of the final destination.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 691 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,712.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 1, 2005; 239.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 2:50 pm
- Destination: VGT Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30L, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.