Cessna 210-5 (205) accident near Schurz, Nevada, October 14, 1983
On October 14, 1983 at about 3:52 am local time, a Cessna 210-5 (205), registered N8370Z, was destroyed in an accident near Schurz, Nevada. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- October 14, 1983 · about 3:52 am local time
- Place
- Schurz, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210-5 (205) 210-5 (205 · all 210-5 (205)s on the register
- Registration
- N8370Z · no longer on the register · serial 2050370
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A CROSSCOUNTRY FLIGHT IN VFR CONDITIONS. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT ENCOUNTERED INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS AT NIGHT AND LOST CONTROL OF THE ACFT IN FLIGHT. THE POST CRASH INVESTIGATION REVEALED EVIDENCE OF AN INFLIGHT STRUCTURAL FAILURE DUE TO OVERLOADS. THE LAST TRANSMISSION FROM THE PILOT INDICATES HE WAS IN A DIVE AND WAS AWARE OF IT. THE ACFT STRUCK THE GROUND IN A NEAR A VERTICAL ATTITUDE.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 28, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 01U Duckwater NV at 2:30 am
- Destination: RNO Reno NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; not recorded at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 am from NFL, 36 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.