Cessna T210M accident near Grass Valley, California, March 13, 1996
On March 13, 1996 at about 4:57 pm local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N8683M, was destroyed in an accident near Grass Valley, California (Nevada CO Air Park airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel starvation for an undetermined reason.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 1996 · about 4:57 pm local time
- Place
- Grass Valley, California · Nevada CO Air Park · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N8683M · no longer on the register · serial 21062049
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane and believed that adequate fuel was onboard for a 1-hour-long flight. During cruise flight and without warning, the engine lost all power after about 1/4 hour of flight. As the pilot was making a forced landing, the airplane collided with the top of a commercial building and trees. It came to rest in a ditch about 200 feet from the approach end of runway 07 at the Nevada County Air Park. A broken fuel line was observed in an impact damaged area of the engine compartment, and evidence of fuel spillage was noted. but no fuel was observed leaking out of either of the wing fuel tanks. The airframe was subsequently examined, and no evidence of any mechanical malfunction or obstruction was reported. After a temporary fuel supply was attached to the airplane, the engine was started, and ran with no discrepancies noted.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,100 hours in all; 70 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,030 as pilot in command; 120 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,711 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AUN Atwater CA at 4:45 pm
- Destination: O17
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 3,915 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 21 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 45 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from BAB, 21 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.