Cessna T210L incident near Wheeling, Illinois, November 3, 1984
On November 3, 1984 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna T210L, registered N21YF, suffered minor damage in an incident near Wheeling, Illinois (Palwaukee airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 1984 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wheeling, Illinois · Palwaukee · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210L · all T210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N21YF · no longer on the register · serial 21060351
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A PREFLT, JUST PRIOR TO TAKEOFF, THE PLT CHECKED THE FLT CONTROLS & FULL TRAVEL OF THE CONTROLS WAS ACHIEVED. HE INITIATED THE TAKEOFF, BUT WHEN HE APPLIED BACK PRESSURE ON THE ELEVATOR CONTROL, IT WOULD ONLY MOVE ABOUT 1 INCH. HE ABORTED THE TAKEOFF WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THE RIBBON WIRE, PN 1570308-1, FOR THE CONTROL YOKE ELECTRICAL SWITCHES BECAME JAMMED UNDER THE CONTROL COLUMN BEARINGS & RESTRICTED THE YOKE MOVEMENT. AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF SLACK IN THE WIRE WAS NOTED. A CESSNA SERVICE LETTER, SE79-26, REGARDING 1978 & 1979 CESSNA 210 & P210 MODELS ADDRESSED THIS PROBLEM, BUT WAS NOT APPLICABLE TO PREVIOUS MODELS. N21YF WAS A 1974 CESSNA T2101. STARTING IN 1980, GUIDES WERE INSTALLED AT THE FACTORY. WHEN REMOVED, THE RIBBON WIRE WAS 33' LONG & WAS SPLIT FOR USE IN THE 1974 ACFT. THE REPLACEMENT RIBBON WIRE WAS 45' LONG, WAS NOT SPLIT & WAS MADE FOR USE IN SEVERAL MODELS OF CESSNA ACFT. THE SERVICE MANUAL HAD NO INSTRUCTIONS FOR INSTALLATION EXCEPT FOR A DIAGRAM.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 150 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 23, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-H (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12L, 4,447 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:00 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.