Cessna P210N accident near El Paso, Texas, September 28, 2021
On September 28, 2021 at about 9:02 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna P210N, registered N4614K, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near El Paso, Texas (El Paso Intl airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A faulty landing gear pressure switch prematurely deactivated the landing gear motor during extension, which resulted in the landing gear collapsing during rollout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2021 · about 9:02 pm local time
- Place
- El Paso, Texas · El Paso Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N, built 1979 · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4614K · no longer on the register · serial P21000237
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing rollout, the right main landing gear collapsed and the airplane veered to the right, which resulted in substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer. Postaccident examination revealed that the landing gear electric motor would deactivate prematurely due to a faulty pressure switch that prevented full extension of the landing gear. No other landing gear anomalies were observed, including during manual operation of the landing gear hand pump. A landing gear maintenance discrepancy was recorded as “landing gear slow to operate, sometimes need to use handpump” during the last annual inspection. Maintenance personnel troubleshot the landing gear discrepancy and identified a pressure switch to be out of tolerance at 1,100 psi and shimmed the switch to 1,500 psi. During the approach to landing, the pilot recalled that the green landing gear down light was on and he did not hear the landing gear warning horn; however, both the landing gear down light and warning horn tested normally during the examination.
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 (landing roll)
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Inoperative
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 950 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 42 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 750 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,376 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 23, 2021
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-P2B (piston); 1,487 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DNA Santa Teresa NM at 8:30 pm
- Destination: ELP El Paso TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08R/, 9,025 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 9 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 18,000 ft; a few clouds at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 2:59 pm from KELP, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KELP 282059Z 26009G23KT 10SM FEW070 SCT140 BKN180 27/07 A2994 RMK AO2 T02670067
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on February 7, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo of Airplane at Accident Site | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Landing Gear Examination | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Landing Gear Maintenance | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Maintenance Log - Excerpt of Annual Inspection | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N4614K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.