Cessna 210D accident near Sturgis, Michigan, August 27, 1998
On August 27, 1998 at about 10:40 pm local time, a Cessna 210D, registered N524BL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sturgis, Michigan (Kirsch Municipal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the cracked left main landing gear saddle, resulting in the pilot's inability to get the gear into the down and locked position.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 1998 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Sturgis, Michigan · Kirsch Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210D · all 210Ds on the register
- Registration
- N524BL · registry record · serial 21058477
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot entered a left downwind for runway 6 and when the airspeed was below 140 knots, he lowered the gear, and put the flaps down. He looked at the landing gear mirror and saw that the left main gear did not look right. The gear position indicator lights were all green, indicating the gear was down and locked. The pilot aborted the approach and climbed out to the west of the airport. The pilot recycled the gear 4 to 5 times. He could get the left gear to swing, but could not get it all the way down into the locked position. The pilot executed a low approach over the field to have the gear configuration verified by people on the ground. After an hour in the air, the pilot retracted the gear and belly-landed the airplane on runway 18. Examination of the left main landing gear revealed that the left main landing gear saddle was cracked through. No other anomalies were found.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 148 hours in all; 61 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,381 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 1997; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A5B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D96 Coldwater MI at 10:00 pm
- Destination: IRS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 5,699 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 pm from IRS, 1 miles away
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.