Cessna 210H accident near Near Labelle, Florida, February 25, 1983
On February 25, 1983 at about 2:30 am local time, a Cessna 210H, registered N5980F, was destroyed in an accident near Near Labelle, Florida. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- February 25, 1983 · about 2:30 am local time
- Place
- Near Labelle, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210H · all 210Hs on the register
- Registration
- N5980F · no longer on the register · serial 21058980
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A TREE DURING A FORCED LANDING AND CARTWHEELED ABOUT 150 FEET INTO A PALMETTO GROVE. THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING THE DESCENT TO LABELLE THE ENGINE BACKFIRED, LOST POWER AND THE WINDSHIELD BECAME COVERED WITH OIL. THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND ON A NEARBY ROAD. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE AFTER THE ACCIDENT REVEALED THAT THE #5 CYLINDER PISTON CONNECTING ROD CAP RETAINING BOLT, PART #629340 HAD FAILED. THE CONNECTING ROD AND CAP FRACTURED AND RUPTURED THEENGINE CASE ADJACENT TO #5 CYLINDER.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 5,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,965 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 19, 1983; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,812 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OPF Opa Locka FL at 2:00 am
- Destination: X14 Labelle
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.