Cessna 210L accident near Kentwood, Louisiana, November 20, 2002
On November 20, 2002 at about 1:20 pm local time, a Cessna 210L, registered N93770, was destroyed in an accident near Kentwood, Louisiana (Hurst Landing Strip airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the #1 and #2 connecting rods during climb to cruise due to overheating, resulting from oil starvation. A contributing factor was the low cloud conditions limiting the pilot's visibility during the ensuing emergency landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 2002 · about 1:20 pm local time
- Place
- Kentwood, Louisiana · Hurst Landing Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210L · all 210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N93770 · registry record · serial 21060470
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane lost engine power while climbing to cruise through layers of clouds. Just after climbing through 8,000 feet, the instrument rated private pilot noted a momentary excursion in engine rpm. He noticed the engine oil pressure was indicating zero and pointed it out to the commercial pilot passenger. As soon as the passenger indicated he thought they should return to the departure airport, a "loud bang" was heard from the engine accompanied with smoke over the windshield and an "acrid smell in the cockpit." The pilot set up for a landing at an airstrip with the assistance from the passenger; however the cloud layers prevented them from seeing the airstrip. As the airplane neared the airstrip, the passenger yelled "trees," which the airplane impacted. A post-accident examination of the engine revealed the #1 and #2 connecting rods failed as a result of overheating from oil starvation. The reason for the oil starvation 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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 225 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 143 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 30, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,100 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,159.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 4, 2002; 20.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L7B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HDC Hammond LA at 1:00 pm
- Destination: PBF Pine Bluff AR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 2,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from MCB, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.