Cessna T210N accident near Georgetown, Delaware, August 25, 2022
On August 25, 2022 at about 8:48 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna T210N, registered N5132C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Georgetown, Delaware (Delaware Coastal 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 pilot's failure to extend the landing gear before landing. Contributing to the accident was an inoperative landing gear warning horn.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 2022 · about 8:48 pm local time
- Place
- Georgetown, Delaware · Delaware Coastal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N, built 1979 · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N5132C · no longer on the register · serial 21063708
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he was distracted by communications difficulties due to issues with the airplane’s headset jacks while conducting an instrument approach. The pilot reported that the landing gear warning horn did not alert him as to the gear being in the “up” position and, in the resulting landing, he did not lower the landing gear. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear warning horn was inoperative.
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 not configured during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear position and warning › Inoperative
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,660 hours in all; 4,960 in this make and model; 6,600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 15, 2020
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 958 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GAI Gaithersburg MD at 2:00 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 04, 5,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.08 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 am from GED
Weather report (METAR): KGED 251454Z AUTO 31004KT 10SM CLR 31/18 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP185 T03110178 53005
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 October 13, 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record A�� Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Witness Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 4 pages | 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 N5132C 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.