Cessna 210E accident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 16, 2004
On February 16, 2004 at about 7:26 pm local time, a Cessna 210E, registered N4974U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Allegheny County 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 owner/pilot-mechanic's failure to comply with an airworthiness directive, which resulted in a fatigue fracture to the left main landing gear saddle.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 2004 · about 7:26 pm local time
- Place
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Allegheny County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210E · all 210Es on the register
- Registration
- N4974U · no longer on the register · serial 21058674
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to a landing, the left main landing gear would not extend into a down and locked position. The pilot, who was also the airplane's owner and mechanic, landed with the right main and nose landing gear in the down and locked position, and the left main landing gear "hanging." Upon landing, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane slid off the left side of the runway. A post-accident examination revealed that the left main landing gear saddle was fractured. The landing gear saddle was the subject of an Airworthiness Directive that first required its replacement, and after 1,200 hours of service on the new part, annual dye-penetrant inspections. A review of the airframe logbook revealed that the saddle was replaced, and that annual inspections should have begun in 1986; however, there were no records that they had ever been performed. Laboratory examination of the saddle fracture revealed features consistent with fatigue, and there was a lack of dye penetrant on the part.
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: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,396 hours in all; 2,800 in this make and model
- Last flight review: January 18, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,458 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 26, 2003; 93 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WAY Waynesburg PA at 7:00 pm
- Destination: AGC Pittsburgh PA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31, 3,825 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.44 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from AGC
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.