- Date
- December 6, 1985, 19:15 local (Dec 7, 1985, 01:15 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N72WFCessna T210N
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19851206061169A
- Case key
- 21948
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft crashed in a wooded area during a forced landing after fuel exhaustion. The acft had extra fuel cans on board and had been flying for almost 12 hours in an attempt to avoid capture by U.S. Agents for the possession of marijuana. The acft contained 750 lbs of marijuana obtained in belize,central america. When he became aware of pursuit by other acft the plt reduced fuel consumption so that a landing could be made after dark. When he failed to elude his pursuers the plt flew until fuel exhaustion. The plt is now in custody of U.S. Drug enforcement.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N72WF
- Reported as
- Cessna T210N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21063357
- Engine
- Continental IO-520A, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Departed
- Belize, CA
- Destination
- Unknown
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 38
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Expired
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 200 in this make and model · 2,900 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HOU, 3 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.