Cessna P210N accident near Reno, Nevada, May 31, 1999
On May 31, 1999 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Cessna P210N, registered N37MJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno Tahoe International airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fuel starvation resulting from the pilot's inattentive monitoring and management of the fuel system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 1999 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno Tahoe International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N37MJ · registry record · serial P21000552
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on a second practice ILS approach, the pilot announced to the Reno ATCT local controller that he was out of fuel. The airplane crashed in a field 1 mile short of the runway. The pilot said that prior to the accident, they had practiced holding patterns, a VOR approach, and one ILS approach. After the engine suddenly quit, the pilot looked at the right fuel gage, which read empty, and switched the selector to the left tank. The pilot was unable to effect an engine restart prior to colliding with the ground. An FAA airworthiness inspector responded to the accident site. He determined that the responding airport fire department units had turned the fuel selector from the left tank to the off position. Examination of the fuel system disclosed that it was intact. Two ounces of fuel were drained from the right wing tank and 13 ounces from the right reservoir tank. The left fuel tank contained about 25 gallons of fuel and the left reservoir tank had 65 ounces.
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
- Flight time: 202 hours in all; 202 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,323 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 20, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KRNO at 5:15 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16R, 11,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from RNO, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.