Cessna T210L accident near Pflugerville, Texas, October 18, 2016
On October 18, 2016 at about 3:15 pm local time, a 1976 Cessna T210L, registered N210LC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Pflugerville, Texas (Austin Executive Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Landing gear collapse upon landing due to a hydraulic leak that led to insufficient pressure to fully extend and lock the gear in a down position.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 18, 2016 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Pflugerville, Texas · Austin Executive Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210L M, built 1976 · all T210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N210LC · registry record · serial 21061298
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the private pilot approached his destination airport for landing, he lowered the landing gear handle but did not have a down-and-locked indication in the cockpit. He used the emergency gear extension handle to lower the gear; however, he felt no resistance on the emergency gear handle. After checking the wing-mounted landing gear mirrors, it appeared that the landing gear was extended. The pilot circled and landed. Upon landing, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane skidded off the runway to the right, which resulted in substantial damage to the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator. Postaccident examination of the landing gear system revealed a leak near the hydraulic pump, and no resistance was felt on the pump handle. Due to the leak, it is likely that there was not enough hydraulic pressure to extend and lock the landing gear in the down position when the pilot attempted to lower the gear, which is consistent with the pilot not feeling any resistance on the emergency landing gear handle in flight. A review of recent maintenance records for the airplane did not reveal any previous landing gear 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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear collapse during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Malfunction
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Hydraulic fluid › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 250 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: April 1, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,830 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 5, 2015; 1,596 hours since
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 4,830 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BYY Bay City TX at 2:15 pm
- Destination: EDC Pflugerville TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 6,025 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 14 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,900 ft; clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 3:30 pm from EDC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN17LA022.