Cessna 210D accident near Paris, Tennessee, January 22, 2024
On January 22, 2024, a 1964 Cessna 210D, registered N3857Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Paris, Tennessee (Henry County Airport). It was an instructional 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 disruption of torque to the No 4 connecting rod journals, which resulted in a spun bearing and the subsequent total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 2024
- Place
- Paris, Tennessee · Henry County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210D, built 1964 · all 210Ds on the register
- Registration
- N3857Y · registry record · serial 21058357
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilots reported the airplane started to shake violently during cruise flight, and oil then covered the windscreen. The engine subsequently lost all power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and performed a forced landing to a nearby airport. During the forced landing, the airplane’s main landing gear contacted the airport perimeter fence, resulting in the airplane nosing over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the engine firewall. Postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the No. 4 cylinder crankshaft connecting rod journals showed evidence of lubrication distress and metal transfer between the bearing and the journal. Review of the airplane’s maintenance logbooks revealed that three of the engine’s six cylinders were replaced about 3 years before the accident, with the remaining three having been replaced about 2 years before the accident. Given this information, and the condition of the No. 4 connecting rod journals, it is likely that the torque on the journals was disrupted during the cylinder replacement(s) which resulted in a spun bearing.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during approach (VFR pattern final)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip engine power section › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng oil sys › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 494 hours in all; 255 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 494 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 16, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 829 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 135 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 778 as pilot in command; 424 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 30, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,834 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2023; 55.3 hours since
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 4,908 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CEY Murray KY
- Destination: MKL Jackson TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 5,001 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.53 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from CKV, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on March 19, 2025. 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 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Flight Instructor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Engine Examination Photographs | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Wreckage Examination Summary | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.