Cessna 210M accident near Cincinnati, Ohio, December 4, 2002
On December 4, 2002 at about 10:32 pm local time, a Cessna 210M, registered N7660E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cincinnati, Ohio (Cincinnati Muni. Apt Lunken Fd airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Rupture of the left side, landing gear down hydraulic line due to repeated contact with the aileron cable, which resulted in a loss of hydraulic pressure, a partial extension of the main landing gear, and the inability to utilize the landing gear hand pump.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 2002 · about 10:32 pm local time
- Place
- Cincinnati, Ohio · Cincinnati Muni. Apt Lunken Fd · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210M · all 210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N7660E · no longer on the register · serial 21062692
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
When the airline transport pilot extended the landing gear in preparation to land, his right leg was sprayed with hydraulic fluid and the gear down-and-locked light did not illuminate. The pilot aborted the landing and circled west of the airport. He made several attempts to lower the gear, but each attempt was unsuccessful. The pilot then flew by the control tower and was advised that the gear were up. He then contacted his company's dispatch personnel, and a decision was made to fly to another airport where company maintenance personnel were based. Prior to landing, the pilot once again flew by the tower, and was informed that the nose gear appeared to be down, but both main landing gear were dangling. The pilot then completed the emergency landing checklist, secured the engine, and landed. During the landing, the airplane veered off the right side of the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that the left side, landing gear down hydraulic line installed from the gear handle to the gear power pack was ruptured due to repeated contact with the aileron cable by control wheel movement. The loss of hydraulic fluid would have also rendered the emergency landing gear hand pump useless.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,361 hours in all; 1,740 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 160 in the last 30 days; 640 as pilot in command; 823 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 6, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,542.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 22, 2002; 84.2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO 520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAH Paducah KY
- Destination: OWB Owensboro OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 7, 5,128 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 070° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; scat at 4,400 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.32 inHg
- Observation at 11:34 pm from LUK
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.
Other NTSB records under N7660E 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.