Cessna 210 accident near Blountville, Tennessee, February 29, 2004
On February 29, 2004 at about 5:32 pm local time, a Cessna 210, registered N9660T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blountville, Tennessee (Tri Cities Regional Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper flare, and improper recovery which resulted in a bounced landing, collapse of the left main landing gear, and the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering resulting in a stall, uncontrolled descent, and collision with the ground. A factor in the accident was the flight instructor's improper supervision of the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 29, 2004 · about 5:32 pm local time
- Place
- Blountville, Tennessee · Tri Cities Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210 · all 210s on the register
- Registration
- N9660T · no longer on the register · serial 57460
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting instrument flight training with an instructor pilot. The flight had been cleared by the controller for the ILS Approach Tri Cities Regional Airport, Blountville, Tennessee, and instructed to contact the air traffic control tower. The pilot contacted the tower and was cleared for a full stop or touch and go landing and was informed by the controller the winds were calm. The pilot acknowledged the clearance and there was no other communication with the pilot. An airline employee located at the airport stated he was working a departing flight when he observed a beige colored airplane on approach to land on runway 23. The witness stated, "The airplane appeared to be unstable as it was turning from left to right and going up and down. The airplane touched down hard on the runway and bounced back into the air about 15 to 20 feet high in the vicinity of the 5,000-foot runway marker. The airplane started to yaw to the left. The nose of the airplane was pitched up about 60-degrees and the wings were level. The airspeed was very slow. The airplane appeared to be left of the runway and stalled. The left wing dropped and the nose pitched down. The airplane disappeared from view below a gully on the southeast side of the runway." Examination of the crash site revealed the airplane collided with the ground in a nose down attitude. The right wing was pushed aft and accordion crushing extended from the wing root outboard to the wing tip. The left wing was pushed forward. The left main landing gear down lock pawl was not engaged. The left main landing gear door linkage was damaged upward and inward. The outboard edge of the left main landing gear tire was worn down to the core of the tire. Examination of the runway revealed tire marks began 2,796 feet from the approach end of the runway and continued in a curving arc to the left 453 feet. Examination of the airframe, flight controls, engine assembly and accessories revealed no anomalies.
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: 356 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 279 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 9, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Flight instructor
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,655 hours in all; 1,610 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 9, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,635.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 12, 2004; 14.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GCY Greeneville TN at 5:09 pm
- Destination: TRI Blountville NC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from TRI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.