Cessna 210 accident near Compton, California, January 4, 1998
On January 4, 1998, a Cessna 210, registered N9406X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Compton, California (Compton airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of maintenance personnel to adequately inspect the aircraft during an annual inspection to detect a chafed and leaking engine fuel supply line.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 4, 1998
- Place
- Compton, California · Compton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210 · all 210s on the register
- Registration
- N9406X · no longer on the register · serial 21057706
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following loss of engine power, an emergency off-airport landing was made on a city street. Examination of the aircraft revealed an abraded solid aluminum fuel line between the fuel selector valve and the engine. When the fuel selector valve was turned on, a knife-shaped stream of fuel emanated from the line. When viewed with an inspection mirror, the abraded area appeared V-shaped (grooved) and there was a hole approximately 1/16-inch diameter though the wall of the tube at the deepest part of the groove. Dried, crusty fuel stains were present on the fuel line over a distance of approximately 2 inches. Adjacent to the area of the leak there was a BNC-type antenna connector on an unused marker beacon antenna mounted on the lower fuselage. An annual and pre-buy inspection was performed on the aircraft 2.6 months prior to the accident. The hangar proprietor reported that the aircraft had leaked fuel onto the hangar floor since some time before the inspection, and the aircraft's previous owner had turned off the fuel selector to stop the leaking. The aircraft had flown approximately 10 hours since 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 157 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 74 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,359 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 15, 1997; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LGB Long Beach CA
- Destination: CPM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25L, 3,670 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.