Cessna 210K accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada, November 10, 2001
On November 10, 2001 at about 2:49 am local time, a Cessna 210K, registered N8232M, was substantially damaged in an accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada (North Las Vegas 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 failure of maintenance personnel to properly diagnose the cause of a reported maintenance discrepancy resulting in the airplane being released from an annual inspection with a worn hydraulic pump which lacked sufficient output to operate the landing gear. Another cause was the pilot's improper execution of the landing gear emergency extension procedure by failing to fully extend the manual hydraulic pump handle prior to attempting emergency gear extension.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 10, 2001 · about 2:49 am local time
- Place
- North Las Vegas, Nevada · North Las Vegas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210K · all 210Ks on the register
- Registration
- N8232M · no longer on the register · serial 210-59232
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On the first flight following an annual inspection, in night, visual meteorological conditions, when the pilot attempted to retract airplane's landing gear, the gear would neither fully retract nor fully extend. The pilot attempted to extend the landing gear using the emergency manual extension hand pump. He reported the ". . .pump handle was locked solid and would not move. . ." He couldn't get the selector handle to recenter as it was supposed to and he didn't get a landing gear extended cockpit indication. The pilot elected to return to the departure airport. The pilot performed a flyby past the air traffic control tower and the controller radioed that all three gear appeared to be down; however, the pilot's wife, in the right seat, told him she couldn't see a wheel on that side of the airplane. During the ensuing landing, the right main landing gear collapsed, the right wing contacted the runway, and the airplane veered off the runway to the right. The aircraft was delivered for the annual inspection with a landing gear extension discrepancy. A misrigging problem on the left main landing gear seemed to explain all of the symptoms and was repaired. The gear was satisfactorily cycled 10 times using an external hydraulic pressure source (mule). Inspection subsequent to the accident revealed that, although functional, the output of the engine-driven hydraulic pump was deficient and insufficient to operate the gear. The emergency hand pump and emergency gear extension system operated normally. The maintenance facility manager speculated that the reason the pilot was not able to extend the landing gear with the emergency hand pump was because he didn't first fully extend the handle. If the telescoping handle shaft is not fully extended the handle cannot be moved and feels similar to a "hydraulic lock."
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,308 hours in all; 679 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 2,186 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 9, 2001; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VGT North Las Vegas NV at 2:37 am
- Destination: WJF Lancaster CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 30L, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from VGT
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.