Cessna T210M accident near Everett, Washington, October 8, 1996
On October 8, 1996 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N761TQ, was destroyed in an accident near Everett, Washington (Snohomish Co.(Paine Fld) airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to the recent excessive use of potent prescription drugs, the pilot's descent below the published decision height, and the pilot's failure to execute a missed approach. Factors contributing to the accident were the adverse meteorological conditions which were below the published required visibility, runway visual range, and ceiling minima due to fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 1996 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Everett, Washington · Snohomish Co.(Paine Fld) · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N761TQ · no longer on the register · serial 21062508
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 75-year-old private pilot acknowledged all ATC vectors and instructions after receiving a clearance to perform an instrument approach, but he did not operate the airplane in accordance with the vectors. The airplane flew through the ILS localizer course during the initial vectoring, and ATC canceled the pilot's clearance to continue the approach. ATC began to re-vector the airplane for another attempt. Again the pilot did not operate the airplane in accordance with the ATC vectors. He was cleared for the approach and began to descend about 1,000 feet per minute at 150 knots. The airplane struck a power line about 1,400 feet from the runway threshold, impacted terrain and was destroyed. The weather conditions were below the published approach visibility minimums. The pilot's medical certificate and the airplane's annual inspection were expired at the time of the accident. The toxicological analysis revealed that the pilot was under the influence of a potent prescription narcotic at the time of the approach. The pilot had a history of severe cardiovascular disease.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,758 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 10, 1994; 343 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Buena WA
- Destination: PAE Everett WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16R, 9,010 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from PAE, 1 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.