Cessna 210H accident near Fremont, Nebraska, January 19, 1986
On January 19, 1986 at about 12:25 pm local time, a Cessna 210H, registered N5961F, was destroyed in an accident near Fremont, Nebraska (Fremont Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- January 19, 1986 · about 12:25 pm local time
- Place
- Fremont, Nebraska · Fremont Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210H · all 210Hs on the register
- Registration
- N5961F · no longer on the register · serial 21058961
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT OF N5961F RECEIVED A WX BRF ABOUT 40 MIN BEFORE THE ACDT FOR A VFR FLT FROM FREMONT TO CHEYENNE. THE 3 REPORTING STATIONS NEAREST TO FREMONT WERE IFR AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES WHO HELPED SEARCH FOR THE ACDT SITE REPORTED LOW CLOUDS AND HAZE. THERE WERE NO WITNESSES TO THE CRASH BUT RESIDENTS NEAR THE ACDT SITE HEARD THE LOUD ROAR OF ACFT ENG THAT ENDED WITH A CRASHING SOUND. A MOTORIST WHO WAS W OF THE ACDT SITE HEADING E REPORTED THAT HE SAW A LIGHT DESCENDING FROM N TO S AT ABOUT A 45 DEG ANGLE TO THE HORIZON AT ABOUT THE TIME OF THE ACDT. IT WAS DARK AT THE TIME OF THE ACDT. THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND BENEATH A LARGE HOLE IN THE ICE OF A LAKE LOCATED 2 MI W OF THE DEPT ARPT. EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT REVEAL EVIDENCE OF MECH FAILURE OR DEFICIENCY.
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: 483 hours in all; 99 in this make and model; 403 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,628 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1985; 137 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: California CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:46 am from OMA, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.