Cessna 210L accident near Oxnard, California, March 8, 2005
On March 8, 2005 at about 5:05 am local time, a Cessna 210L, registered N2044S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oxnard, California (Oxnard airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A pinhole leak in the fuel pressure line during the takeoff roll that was ignited by an electrical arc associated with wires adjacent to the fuel line. A contributing factor in the accident was the failure of maintenance personnel to comply with a manufacturer's service bulletin that addressed potential damage to the fuel line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 2005 · about 5:05 am local time
- Place
- Oxnard, California · Oxnard · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210L · all 210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N2044S · registry record · serial 21061011
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the pilot turned the airplane onto the active runway, he saw white flashes coming from the engine gauges in the instrument panel. He did not believe there was a problem, and continued the takeoff run. About 1,000 feet down the runway, smoke started to enter the cabin, and he stopped the airplane and evacuated the passengers. When he returned to the cabin area, he noted a fire concentrated in the engine gauge instrument cluster area of the panel. He put the fire out, but by the time the fire department arrived, the fire had restarted. The cabin area sustained structural damage during the fire. Investigation found that the wire bundles in the engine gauge area had missing insulation and beading. The engine instrument section was removed for inspection, and a pinhole was found on the steel fuel pressure line. A Safety Board materials specialist examined the fuel pressure line, and noted copper material and damage that was consistent with electrical arcing of a copper wire on another metal surface. The airframe manufacturer issued Service Bulletin SEB98-7 in 1998, which required an inspection of the fuel line between the firewall and fuel flow gauge for abrasion damage. No evidence was found that the service bulletin had been complied with. While the service bulletin was not mandatory, had it been addressed, the damage to the fuel line may have been found in a timely manner before the onset of the fire.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,214 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 2 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,225.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2004; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OXR Oxnard CA at 5:05 am
- Destination: SMO Santa Monica CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25, 5,953 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 am from OXR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.