Cessna 210J accident near Lees Summit, Missouri, August 13, 1982
On August 13, 1982 at about 2:15 am local time, a Cessna 210J, registered N3331S, was destroyed in an accident near Lees Summit, Missouri (Mccomas-Lees Summit airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- August 13, 1982 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- Lees Summit, Missouri · Mccomas-Lees Summit · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210J · all 210Js on the register
- Registration
- N3331S · no longer on the register · serial 210591B1
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN REPAINTED AT TOPEKA, KS. ON A RETURN FLIGHT TO KANSAS CITY, MO, THE PILOT DIVERTED TO OLATHE, KS AFTER FINDING CLOUDS AT THE INTENDED DESTINATION. HE THEN DEPARTED ON A NIGHT FLIGHT TO LEES SUMMIT, MO. AFTER ENTERING THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AT LEES SUMMIT, HE TRANSMITTED THAT HE WAS HIGH AND WAS EXTENDING HIS DOWNWIND LEG. MOMENTS LATER, HE TRANSMITTED THAT THE ENGINE HAD QUIT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN COLLIDED WITH TREETOPS ABOUT ONE MILE FROM THE AIRPORT WHILE IN A SHALLOW DESCENT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD NOT BEEN REFUELED AT TOPEKA OR OLATHE. ONLY 1/2 GAL OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE RIGHT TANK AND THE LEFT TANK WAS EMPTY. HOWEVER, BOTH TANKS WERE DAMAGED FROM IMPACT. ONLY A FEW DROPS OF FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE LINE FROM THE FUEL CONTROLLER TO THE FLOW DIVIDER. ALSO, OBSTRUCTIONS WERE FOUND IN THE #2 AND #4 FUEL NOZZLES, AND THE OUTPUT OF THE FUEL PUMP WAS 25.3 PSI,THE DESIRED PRESSURE WAS 29.5 PSI.
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: 269 hours in all; 139 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 166 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,272 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: C Olathe KS at 9:00 pm
- Destination: C Lees Summit MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.