Cessna 210H accident near Big Bear City, California, February 8, 1997
On February 8, 1997 at about 5:55 pm local time, a Cessna 210H, registered N6137F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Big Bear City, California (Big Bear City airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a corroded landing gear down limit switch, which resulted in a retracted left main gear during the landing sequence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 1997 · about 5:55 pm local time
- Place
- Big Bear City, California · Big Bear City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210H · all 210Hs on the register
- Registration
- N6137F · registry record · serial 59037
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had normal gear indications while landing. The airplane settled on its left side after the left main landing gear retracted into the wheel well during landing roll. The landing gear down limit switches were found stuck and appeared corroded and dirty. The stuck switches illuminated the landing gear down light, inconsistent with the landing gear position. They affected the sequence in which the landing gear operated, in that once the nose was down, the sequencing valve would transfer hydraulic pressure from the main gear actuators to the landing gear door actuators before the main landing gear would fully extend to the locked position. The airplane had been tied down outside on the airport ramp and had only flown 10 hours since the annual inspection, which was completed on 2/16/96.
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: 1,069 hours in all; 740 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,069 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,197 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 16, 1996; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EMT El Monte CA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: L35
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 5,850 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from L35
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX97LA101.