Cessna T210N accident near Gorman, California, February 7, 1983
On February 7, 1983 at about 1:30 am local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N1244U, was destroyed in an accident near Gorman, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 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, 1983 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Gorman, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N1244U · no longer on the register · serial 64680
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RECEIVED A WX BRIEFING BEFORE TAKEOFF, BUT DID NOT FILE A FLT PLAN. APRX 35 MIN LATER, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING LOW OVER INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 5 NEAR THE GORMAN VOR & TEJON PASS. A PATROLMAN THAT SAW THE ACFT ESTIMATED THAT IT CROSSED APRX 25 FT OVER A HIGHWAY ACCESS BRIDGE. HE ESTIMATED THE CLOUD LAYER IN THAT AREA WAS ABOUT 75 FT AGL, BUT NEAR THE SUMMIT, THE CEILING WAS APRX 15 FT. AFTER CROSSING THE BRIDGE, THE ACFT DISAPPEARED FROM THE PATROLMAN'S VIEW. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT WAS FOUND WHERE IT CRASHED ON THE GORMAN MOUNTAINSIDE, ABOVE THE HIGHWAY AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 4300 FT MSL. AN INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE WAS MADE, BUT NO EVIDENCE OF AN INFLIGHT STRUCTURAL FAILURE WAS FOUND.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,174 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 253 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 140 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 20, 1983; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BFL Bakersfield CA
- Destination: VNY Van Nuys CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.