Cessna T210 accident near Flint, Michigan, January 6, 2019
On January 6, 2019 at about 9:40 pm local time, a 1977 Cessna T210, registered N1237M, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Flint, Michigan (Bishop Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
The failure of the nose landing gear actuator hydraulic hose, which resulted in the loss of hydraulic fluid and hydraulic system pressure and a subsequent gear-up landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 6, 2019 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Flint, Michigan · Bishop Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210 M, built 1977 · all T210s on the register
- Registration
- N1237M · registry record · serial 21061927
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that, after takeoff for the cross-country, personal flight, he attempted to retract the landing gear and noticed that the gear motor continued to operate longer than normal and that the sound had become abnormal toward the end of the retraction sequence. The pilot subsequently saw that the right main landing gear (MLG) had not fully retracted and was hanging about 45° rearward. He could not see the left MLG. The pilot attempted to address the gear issue for more than 20 minutes by completing the emergency procedures checklist; however, although the nose landing gear (NLG) had extended, the MLG did not respond, so the pilot continued to the destination airport. Before landing, the pilot again attempted to extend the landing gear. During a flyby, an air traffic controller confirmed that both MLG were not extended. The pilot subsequently conducted an emergency landing with the NLG extended and both MLG partially extended. Upon landing, the airplane spun about 180° and then came to rest on the runway, sustaining substantial damage to the right horizontal stabilizer and elevator. During postaccident examination of the airplane, the NLG well was found partially covered in red hydraulic fluid, no hydraulic fluid was found on the reservoir dipstick, and an NLG actuator hydraulic hose was found damaged. During a functional test of the hydraulic system, the emergency gear extension handle was actuated in an attempt to extend the MLG; however, after 10 to 12 pumps, hydraulic fluid sprayed from the damaged hose; the system could not build pressure, and the MLG would not extend. The damaged hose was replaced, the emergency gear extension handle was actuated, and the MLG extended and locked normally. According to a service bulletin issued 17 years before the accident and based on the maintenance criteria for the hydraulic hose part number, the hose should have been replaced with an updated hose. However, about 13 years before the accident, the hydraulic hose was replaced with the original part number rather than with the updated part number. The hydraulic hose failed during the accident flight when the pilot attempted to retract the landing gear after takeoff. It is likely that, during annual inspections subsequent to the hose replacement, the hose was treated as an "on-condition" part since it had not been replaced with the new hose. It is likely that most of the hydraulic fluid was pumped out of the damaged hose during the pilot's troubleshooting attempts, which led to a loss of hydraulic system pressure and prevented the MLG from fully extending or retracting and resulted in a gear-up landing.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during approach defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Landing gear not configured during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Damaged/degraded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Replacement › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,877 hours in all; 309 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,762 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 30, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,873 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 5, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental Motors TSIO-520-R (piston); 1,030 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 48D Clare MI at 9:00 pm
- Destination: FNT Flint MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 7,201 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KFNT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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 CEN19LA059.