Cessna 210F accident near Buena Park, California, October 11, 1992
On October 11, 1992, a Cessna 210F, registered N1840F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Buena Park, California (Fullerton Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ADEQUATELY DETECT WATER CONTAMINATION IN THE AIRPLANE'S FUEL SYSTEM DURING PREFLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 1992
- Place
- Buena Park, California · Fullerton Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210F · all 210Fs on the register
- Registration
- N1840F · no longer on the register · serial 58740
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING A MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT FOLLOWING AN ANNUAL INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT OF TWO CYLINDERS. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF THE ENGINE LOST POWER. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE TO A HIGHWAY AND THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH 2 MOVING MOTOR VEHICLES. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED EVIDENCE OF WATER IN THE CYLINDERS. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN SITTING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS WITHOUT THE FUEL TANKS TOPPED OFF.
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
- Flight time: 200 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,024 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1992; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FUL Fullerton CA
- Destination: FUL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,121 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 pm from FUL, 1 miles away
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.
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.