Cessna 210N accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, July 13, 1989
On July 13, 1989 at about 4:27 pm local time, a Cessna 210N, registered N9913Y, was destroyed in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a personal 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
A GUNSHOT WOUND, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF THE PILOT'S ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY FLY AND NAVIGATE THE AIRCRAFT, AND A SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 1989 · about 4:27 pm local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210N · all 210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N9913Y · no longer on the register · serial 210-64636
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT FILED IFR FLT PLAN FM WASHINGTON, DC, TO ROCKY MT, NC, & DEPD AT 0626 EDT. AT 0731 (BFR RCHG ROCKY MT), HE RADIOED HE WAS HAVING '. . . A LITTLE TROUBLE BREATHING . . .' & ASKED ABT THE DSTC TO ROCKY MT. THE CTLR ADZD ROCKY MT WAS ABT 17 MIN (FLYING TIME) AWAY; THEN HE RCVD NO FURTHER COM FM THE ACFT. IT CONTD SOUTH AT 10,000' MSL (SPD ABT 150 KTS) & WENT OVR THE OCEAN. MIL ACFT IN THE AREA WERE VCTRD TO INTERCEPT & ESCORT THE PLANE. INTERCEPTING PLTS NOTED A PERSON IN THE ACFT WITH HIS HEAD BACK IN A RECLINED PSN. THEY NOTED LITTLE MOVEMENT FM THE PERSON, THO HE MOVED THE SUN VISOR FM THE SIDE WINDOW TO THE STOWED PSN. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT'S SPD SLOWED TO 110 KTS. AT 1219, IT BGN DSCNDG & ENTERED A DSCNDG SPIRAL. AT 1227, THE ACFT TOUCHED DWN IN THE OCEAN (APRX 10 MI EAST OF ROCK SOUND, BAHAMAS) IN A WINGS LEVEL ATTITUDE. AFTER STOPPING, THE ACFT SANK, BUT RESCUE PSNL RETRIEVED THE PLT. HE WAS IN SHOCK WITH A GUNSHOT WOUND IN HIS ABDOMEN, RIB CAGE & L ARM. AT 1550, HE WAS HOSPITALIZED WITH INDCNS OF FULLY DEVELOPED PERITONITIS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,340 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,378 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 26, 1988; 190 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DCA Washington DC
- Destination: RWI Rocky Mount NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from MYNN, 72 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.