Cessna 210 accident near New Orleans, Louisiana, March 20, 1991
On March 20, 1991 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Cessna 210, registered N219CG, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Orleans, Louisiana (New Orleans 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 POWER LOSS DUE TO FATIGUE INDUCED CRANKSHAFT FAILURE. FACTORS WERE THE PILOT'S CONTINUED OPERATION WITH KNOWN MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION AND THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR THE FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 1991 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- New Orleans, Louisiana · New Orleans · 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
- N219CG · no longer on the register · serial 21060303
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A DAY TAKEOFF, THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DUE TO AN INTERNAL MECHANICAL FAILURE. THE ENGINE HAD BEEN RUNNING ROUGH AND HAD A HISTORY OF HIGH VIBRATIONS. FOLLOWING HIS EMERGENCY DECLARATION, THE PILOT LANDED ON AIRPORT PROPERTY ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY OVER-RUN. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE NOSE GEAR SHEARED AND THE AIRPLANE NOSED OVER TO THE INVERTED POSITION. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE MANUFACTURER HAD IDENTIFIED AN INTERNAL PROBLEM THAT WAS DEVELOPING THE VIBRATORY LOADS. THE PILOT WAS FULLY AWARE OF THE MANUFACTURERS ANALYSIS, BUT CHOSE TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE THE AIRPLANE WITHOUT ENGINE MAINTENANCE BEING PERFORMED. ENGINE DISASSEMBLY REVEALED CRANKSHAFT FAILURE WITH MULTIPLE ZONES OF FATIGUE.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 3,850 as pilot in command; 25 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Cgs Aviation
The flight
- Destination: GWO Greenwood MS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.