Cessna 210E accident near Oxnard, California, August 22, 1997
On August 22, 1997 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cessna 210E, registered N1808F, was destroyed in an accident near Oxnard, California. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of maintenance personnel to properly secure a fuel supply line during a 100-hour inspection and the failure of inspection personnel to detect the loose fitting.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 22, 1997 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Oxnard, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210E · all 210Es on the register
- Registration
- N1808F · no longer on the register · serial 210-58708
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During departure climbout, after reaching 1,500 to 2,000 feet agl, the pilot/flight instructor noted that the student pilot had not properly set the throttle friction lock and the throttle had retarded to about 15 inches of manifold pressure. The pilot instructed his student to advance the throttle, however, when the student did so the manifold pressure rose momentarily and then the engine abruptly stopped delivering power. The pilot took control of the aircraft from his student, performed the engine failure checklist, declared an emergency, and established a glide toward a nearby airport. When it became apparent that the aircraft could not glide to the airport, he turned toward an open agricultural field. The aircraft impacted the roof of a house and a light pole across the street from the field boundary and came to rest at the edge of the field. Postaccident examination revealed that a fuel supply hose had come unscrewed off the inlet nipple of the fuel control unit. An 100-hour inspection was completed the prior day and this was the first flight following the inspection.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,120 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 128 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 1,132 as pilot in command; 630 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,376 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 21, 1997; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CMA Camarillo CA at 9:25 pm
- Destination: BUR Burbank CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:30 pm from OXR, 225 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.