Cessna 210J accident near Fort Myers, Florida, September 5, 2013
On September 5, 2013 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 1969 Cessna 210J, registered N210WS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Fort Myers, Florida (Page Field 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 the landing gear hydraulic power pack system to provide sufficient pressure to lock the main landing gear in the down position. Contributing to the accident was the improper maintenance and inspection of the landing gear system, the pilot’s continued operation of the airplane with a known mechanical problem with the landing gear system, and the pilot’s failure to visually verify that the landing gear were down.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 2013 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Myers, Florida · Page Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210J, built 1969 · all 210Js on the register
- Registration
- N210WS · registry record · serial 21059135
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that the airplane had been experiencing landing gear problems before the most recent annual inspection in April 2013 but that he thought that the landing gear problems had stopped after that inspection and maintenance. During departure, the landing gear failed to retract, and the amber light indicating that the landing gear fully retracted did not illuminate. After the pilot cycled the landing gear, the landing gear retracted, the amber light illuminated, and he continued the flight. The pilot stated that, as he neared his destination, he placed the landing gear handle in the "down" position and felt the "clunk" associated with the landing gear locking into place. He added that he quickly checked his wing mirror and confirmed that the landing gear were down before landing and that the green landing gear down-and-locked light "appeared" to be illuminated on the landing gear console. (The wing mirror can only show the position of the nose landing gear.) The airplane subsequently landed without the main landing gear down-and-locked, slid down the runway, and departed its left side. The left main landing gear hydraulic down lock was not in the locked position. A witness, who was also a mechanic, stated that, when the airplane arrived at the airport, he saw the main landing gear trailing aft during landing but that the nose landing gear were down-and-locked. He asked the pilot if he had looked out his left window to visually inspect the left main landing gear and verify that it was down. The pilot replied that he did not think of that and that no one had ever showed him that. Examinations determined that the hydraulic power pack that operates the functions of the landing gear was past its useful life and needed to be overhauled. The O-rings within the apparatus were malfunctioning and not providing the pressure needed to lock the main landing gear in the down position. If the pilot had looked out the window to visually verify the position of the main landing gear, he likely would have noticed that it was not in the correct position, and he could have accomplished emergency checklists that might have allowed the main landing gear to lock in the down position.
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 (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Malfunction
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Incorrect service/maintenance
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Inadequate inspection
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Maintenance personnel
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 772 hours in all; 301 in this make and model; 732 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 11, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,081 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 3,583 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OPF Opa Locka FL at 3:00 pm
- Destination: FMY Fort Myers FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05, 6,406 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 3:42 pm from FMY
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.