Cessna 210L accident near St. Augustine, Florida, September 22, 1992
On September 22, 1992 at about 1:18 am local time, a Cessna 210L, registered N121PL, was destroyed in an accident near St. Augustine, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO CONDUCT A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION OF THE FUEL TANKS PRIOR TO TAKEOFF.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 1992 · about 1:18 am local time
- Place
- St. Augustine, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210L · all 210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N121PL · registry record · serial 21060179
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL PILOT WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 4,500 FEET AGL WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO SPUTTER. THE PILOT SWITCHED TO THE OTHER FUEL TANK AND CHECKED BOTH FUEL GAUGES WHICH WERE INDICATING NEAR EMPTY. THE PILOT TURNED DIRECT TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT WHEN THE ENGINE SPUTTERED AND QUIT. THE PILOT CONDUCTED A FORCED LANDING TO THE TREES. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED AND THE PILOT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,089 hours in all; 435 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 87 in the last 30 days; 1,905 as pilot in command; 1,117 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,523 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 10, 1992; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L4B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cherokee Leasing INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ORL Orlando FL
- Destination: CRG Jacksonville FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°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.
Other NTSB records under N121PL the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 MIA92LA190.