Cessna 210L accident near Chinle, Arizona, August 12, 1984
On August 12, 1984 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Cessna 210L, registered N29359, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chinle, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 1984 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Chinle, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210L · all 210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N29359 · registry record · serial 21059858
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT ABOUT 1400 MST, THE PLT TOOK OFF. HE CLIMBED & LEVELED OFF AT 8500 FT. HE WAS USING FUEL FROM THE RIGHT TANK WHICH RAN DRY, THEN HE SWITCHED TO THE LEFT TANK. AT THAT TIME, HE THOUGHT HE HAD 30 MINS OF FUEL REMAINING. HE DECIDED TO LAND AT CHINLE, AZ, & STARTED A DESCENT THEN THE ENG BEGAN TO RUN ROUGH. HE LEVELED OFF IN AN ATTEMPT TO REACH CHINLE, BUT THE LEFT TANK RAN DRY. THE PLT DECIDED TO LAND ON A DIRT ROAD, BUT DELAYED LOWERING THE GEAR. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN BEFORE THE GEAR WAS FULLY EXTENDED & THE GEAR COLLAPSED.
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: 1,408 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 164 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 1,260 as pilot in command; 634 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 31,778 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 3, 1984; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0V7 Kayenta AZ at 9:00 pm
- Destination: GUP Gallup NM
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 pm
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX84LA436.