WPR26LA335

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 210 · Polson, MT · September 10, 2026

Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedPreliminary report
Date
September 10, 2026, 10:05 local (16:05 UTC)
Place
Polson, MT
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Approach
Aircraft
N9517TCessna 210
Defining event
Approach: Loss of engine power (partial)
Status
Investigation ongoing
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Western Pacific Region
Parties
FAA FSDO
FAA report
20260910011889A
Case key
203790

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Preliminary report

What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.

On September 10, 2026, about 1005 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 210, N9517T, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Polson Airport (8S1), Polson, Montana. The student pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight The pilot reported that he was returning to 8S1 after a short flight. The flight was uneventful until the airplane was on final approach. According to the pilot, the airplane was high on the approach, and he initiated a forward slip to increase the descent rate. About 20 to 30 seconds after entering the slip, the engine lost all power. The propeller continued to windmill during the descent The pilot verified the mixture and fuel selector positions and manipulated the throttle; however, he was unsuccessful in his attempt to restore engine power. The pilot discontinued the slip and established a glide toward the airport. The airplane crossed a road near the approach end of the runway and struck a fence before coming to rest on the airport grass. The lower fuselage and left wing were substantially damaged during the accident sequence. The pilot reported that each wing tank contained about 16 gallons of fuel before departure. Fuel samples were obtained from the airplane, and the airplane was retained for further examination.

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Aircraft

Registration
N9517T
Reported as
Cessna 210
Category
Airplane
Serial number
57317
Built
1960
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Departed
52S · St. Ignatius, MT
Destination
Same as departure
Airport
8S1

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.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.

Other investigations on N9517T · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.