Cessna 210M accident near Lafayette, Louisiana, February 23, 1998
On February 23, 1998 at about 3:38 pm local time, a Cessna 210M, registered N7354M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lafayette, Louisiana (Lafayette Rgnl Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The unsecured squat switch wires located in the nose gear that were crimped (damaged) when the landing gear was retracted and shorted, resulting in an in-flight fire. A factor was the failure of the landing gear to extend during the emergency descent/landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 1998 · about 3:38 pm local time
- Place
- Lafayette, Louisiana · Lafayette Rgnl Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210M · all 210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N7354M · no longer on the register · serial 21062011
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged during an in-flight fire and gear up landing. The pilot reported that he had 'not gone more than eight miles from the airport, when [he] started to smell smoke.' He observed white smoke coming from under the instrument panel on the co-pilot's side and 'shortly' thereafter the engine 'began to surge.' The pilot was unable to extend the gear using the gear selector switch and began using the emergency gear pump. As he was attempting to pump the gear down he noticed a fire that 'looked to be around the hydraulic reservoir on the co-pilot's side' A gear up landing was executed on runway 04R. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left side of the nose gear well was burned in the vicinity of the fuel line that connects the fuel pump to the strainer. The squat switch wires, which are normally secured to the nose gear strut, were found loose. The squat switch wires were crimped and the protective casing around the wire was burned away at the crimped area. The FAA inspector reported that the fire burned a hole in the engine firewall.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,300 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 4,850 as pilot in command; 513 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1997; 117 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LFT at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4R, 7,651 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from LFT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.