Cessna 210 accident near Fort Smith, Arkansas, August 12, 2001
On August 12, 2001 at about 1:52 am local time, a Cessna 210, registered N8137L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fort Smith, Arkansas (Fort Smith Regional 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 overload fracture of the left main landing gear actuator which resulted in the loss of all hydraulic fluid and led to a wheels up landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2001 · about 1:52 am local time
- Place
- Fort Smith, Arkansas · Fort Smith Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210 · all 210s on the register
- Registration
- N8137L · registry record · serial 21060624
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was unable to completely extend the main landing gear for landing due to a lack of hydraulic fluid and elected to land with the nose landing gear extended and the main landing gear retracted. Examination of the airplane following the landing revealed that the left main landing gear actuator was cracked along the length of the cylindrical section of the body and displayed a bulging deformity in the cracked area. The actuator was designed to withstand a pressure of 3,750 psi, and the maximum operating pressure of the landing gear system was 1,800 psi. The cylinder was examined and tested by the manufacturer. The actuator met all of the manufacturer's specifications and there was no evidence of a pre-existing crack. It was determined that the actuator burst due to excess pressure within the cylinder. However, the source of the excess pressure was not determined.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,229 hours in all; 1,335 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 2,175 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,205.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 20, 2000; 179.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BVX Batesville AR at 9:30 pm
- Destination: FYV Fayetteville AR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 07, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 060° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from FSM
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.