Cessna T210M accident near East Sound, Washington, December 8, 1983
On December 8, 1983 at about 4:35 am local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N761PW, was destroyed in an accident near East Sound, Washington. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- December 8, 1983 · about 4:35 am local time
- Place
- East Sound, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N761PW · no longer on the register · serial 21062419
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH STEEPLY UPSLOPING TERRAIN ALONG THE NE SIDE OF ORCAS ISLAND. THE PLT HAD BEEN REPORTEDLY FLYING THROUGHOUT THE PUGET SOUND/PACIFIC NW AREA FOR MORE THAN 10 YEARS & WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE TERRAIN & ASSOCIATED WX. SEVERAL PLTS LOCATED IN OR FLYING NEAR THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS REPORTED METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS CHARACTERIZED BY LOW SOLID OVERCAST CEILINGS & RAIN. A PORTABLE TAPE RECORDER WAS FOUND WHICH CONTAINED A 30 MIN CASSETTE. THE RECORD/ PLAYBACK BUTTONS WERE DEPRESSED. THE TAPE CONSISTED OF ABOUT 75% MUSIC & 25% DICTATION DEALING WITH INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS BETWEEN THE PLT & OTHER PERSONNEL INVOLVED WITH A BUSINESS THAT THE PLT HAD JUST TERMINATED HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH. NUMEROUS NAVIGATIONAL FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,299 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 22, 1982; 170 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: BLI Billingham WA at 4:25 am
- Destination: S19 Friday Harbor WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°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.
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.