Cessna P210N incident near Bryce Canyon, Utah, October 15, 1997
On October 15, 1997 at about 4:36 pm local time, a Cessna P210N, registered N731NX, suffered minor damage in an incident near Bryce Canyon, Utah. It was a public-use 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 failure of the resistor (inverter) in the door seal pressurization air pump due to continuous operation. Factors were a failure in the door seal pressurization system, its inadequate design by the manufacturer, its inadequate written instructions for installation and operation, and the installation of the improper electrical fuse by unknown persons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 1997 · about 4:36 pm local time
- Place
- Bryce Canyon, Utah
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N731NX · registry record · serial P21000515
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that smoke began coming into the cockpit and 'I could hardly see the propeller.' He stated that 'at that point, we discovered the indicator light for the cabin door seal pressurization pump was on.' The pilot believes that it had been operating continuously due to an air leak in the system. In order to eliminate electrical power to the pressurization pump, the pilot turned the master switch off. After landing the airplane, the pilot located a fire in the upholstery, which he extinguished. Postincident examination revealed that the aluminum housing of a resistor (inverter) in the cabin door seal pressurization pump (an STC modification) had melted and deformed. Further investigation revealed that the pump unit had not been installed properly due to lack of adequate written instructions. Additionally, the design of the unit did not include a pilot controlled on-off switch, adequate space for cooling during operation, sufficient procedural directions for when the amber caution light comes on, and there was no way to monitor the pumps operating time limitation (10 minutes). It was also determined that the wrong amperage fuse had been installed in the pump system.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,647 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 71 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 15,385 as pilot in command; 8,868 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,510 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 30, 1997; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GJT Grand Junction CO at 3:30 pm
- Destination: BCE UT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 90 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.
Other NTSB records under N731NX the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.