Cessna 210G accident near Springfield, Illinois, February 4, 1998
On February 4, 1998, a Cessna 210G, registered N5842F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Springfield, Illinois (Capital Airport). It was a personal 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
The failure of left main landing gear saddle resulting in the pilot's inability to extend the left gear. A factor was maintenance personnel's failure to comply with the related airworthiness directive.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 4, 1998
- Place
- Springfield, Illinois · Capital Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210G · all 210Gs on the register
- Registration
- N5842F · registry record · serial 21058842
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was unable to get the left main landing gear to extend by using the normal landing gear selector or the emergency hand pump. He shut down the engine and landed on the runway centerline with the right main and nose gears extended and the left main gear retracted. He reported that as the airspeed began to slow, the airplane entered an uncontrollable left turn. The airplane traveled into the grass alongside the runway where the left wing and left horizontal stabilizer contacted the ground. Inspection of the left main landing gear revealed a failure of the landing gear saddle. According to an FAA Inspector, the inboard mounting bolt which connects the saddle to the gear leg had sheared. An airworthiness directive (AD) had been issued in 1976 regarding the saddle. The AD was initially complied with, but the recurrent inspections required had not been performed.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,437 hours in all; 2,265 in this make and model; 3,464 as pilot in command; 968 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,276 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1997; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A5B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPI at 11:40 pm
- Destination: SPI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 7,999 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.