Cessna 210L accident near Tampa, Florida, August 19, 1999
On August 19, 1999 at about 7:17 am local time, a Cessna 210L, registered N640AJ, was destroyed in an accident near Tampa, Florida (Tampa International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot to follow procedures and directives established by the operator for his failure to fuel the airplane after landing following the first leg. Contributing to the accident was the total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Findings in the investigation were 1) the failure of company maintenance personnel to comply with all instructions of Airworthiness Directive (AD) 94-12-08, and 2) the pilot flew a total of 1.8 hours in a multi-engine airplane after the first leg landing; 1.5 hours of which were as a flight instructor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1999 · about 7:17 am local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · Tampa International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210L · all 210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N640AJ · no longer on the register · serial 21060758
- 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 first leg of the flight was uneventful; fueling of the airplane was not performed after landing as indicated in the route procedure. No adverse weather existed while the flight was on the ground. The pilot flew in a multi-engine airplane for a 1.8 hours; 1.5 hours of which were as a flight instructor after the first leg. The second and third flight legs were uneventful; fueling was not performed after those landings. The pilot twice requested to land on runway 36R; he was advised to follow company traffic landing runway 18L. A witness heard the engine sputtering and after being cleared to land, the pilot declared an emergency. The airplane collided with power lines, a dust bin, and remained suspended on the dust bin. No more than 10 ounces of fuel were drained from the airplane; no fuel leakage was noted. No engine, flight control, or fuel indicating system preimpact failure or malfunction was noted. Impact damage to the right fuel gauge prevented needle movement during postaccident testing. The airplane had been operated for 4 hours 54 minutes since fueling by the accident pilot. Instructions required by Airworthiness Directive (AD) 94-12-08, was not incorporated into the aircraft records.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,219 hours in all; 127 in the last 30 days; 2,094 as pilot in command; 539 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,487 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 9, 1999; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Fort Lauderdale FL at 6:08 am
- Destination: TPA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:27 am from TPA, 2 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.