Cessna T210M accident near Groveland, California, May 13, 2002
On May 13, 2002 at about 8:55 pm local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N761LX, was destroyed in an accident near Groveland, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a catastrophic engine failure due to the fatigue fracture and failure of the crankshaft. A factor contributing to the accident was the unsuitable nature of the mountainous terrain for a successful forced landing. The precipitating cause of the fatigue fracture could not be determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 2002 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Groveland, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N761LX · no longer on the register · serial 21062351
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with multiple trees during an attempted forced landing in mountainous terrain following a catastrophic engine failure in cruise. The flight was obtaining VFR flight following from air route traffic control center (ARTCC) when the facility lost radar and radio contact. The airplane came to rest near the edge of an elliptical meadow, which was about 1 mile long by 1/4 mile wide, with the long axis oriented east and west. The meadow was in mountainous terrain and surrounded by trees over 100 feet tall. The debris path was along the eastern edge of the meadow on a magnetic bearing of 210 degrees. Multiple large trees were observed with broken branches and major impact marks on their trunks. The crankcase had a 3-inch diameter hole in it above cylinder number 3. Examination of the engine found that the crankshaft fractured and separated at the rear of the number 4 cheek. The fracture was at the forward radius of the number 2 main bearing journal. Smeared metal was on the fracture surfaces. A metallurgical examination determined that a large portion of the fracture surface exhibited smooth crack arrest markings typical of fatigue propagation. Failure of the crankshaft was caused by a fatigue crack in the cheek between the number 3 rod journal and the number 2 main bearing journal. The fracture of the crankshaft caused the additional damage to the engine, including the separation of the numbers 3 and 4 connecting rods from their respective journals, and would have led to a complete loss of engine power. The origin of the fatigue fracture was in the transition between the number 2 main bearing journal surface and the forward fillet radius, approximately 0.036 inches below the surface of the journal. No metallurgical anomalies or manufacturing process errors were found to explain the fatigue initiation. This failure is very similar to a number of others investigated by the Safety Board's Materials Laboratory in the past, with a fatigue crack initiating just below the hardened case layer. As with many of those previous events, there were no material or microstructural defects that could be identified as the root cause of the fatigue initiation. The crankshaft met design material specifications.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,920 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2001; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: FUL Fullerton CA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: CXP Carson City NV
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from MOD, 55 miles away
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.