Cessna 210K accident near Fallon, Nevada, March 19, 1998
On March 19, 1998 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Cessna 210K, registered N8274M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fallon, Nevada (Private Strip airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The aircraft owner/pilot's improper assembly of the engine oil pump, which resulted in failure of the unit and oil starvation failure of the engine. A factor was the lack of supervision of the owner/pilot's work by the A & P mechanic.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 1998 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Fallon, Nevada · Private Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210K · all 210Ks on the register
- Registration
- N8274M · no longer on the register · serial 21059274
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the initial takeoff climb, the pilot reduced power and the rpm's dropped to zero, but there was no sound change in the engine. The pilot attempted to return to the airport for a precautionary landing. During the turn back to the airport, the engine began to run rough. The pilot was unable to make the runway and made an off-airport emergency landing and collided with ground obstructions. A post-accident investigation revealed an oil starvation failure of the engine. The oil pump's drive gear shaft had failed in torsional overload. Examination of the oil pump's driven gear revealed that the required bronze bushings between it and the driven gear shaft were absent. It was noted that the engine was overhauled 162 hours prior to the accident. During the engine overhaul, the oil pump was sent out for overhaul and was returned to the owner as a disassembled unit. The owner/pilot, who was not a certified A & P mechanic, reassembled the oil pump and reinstalled it on the airplane. A certified A & P mechanic reported that he did sign the logbook to this affect, but he did not monitor or inspect the work that had been completed by the owner.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,800 hours in all; 247 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 6,700 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,360 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 14, 1998; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fallon Airmotive INC.
The flight
- Destination: RNO
- Runway 16, 4,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 am from LOL, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.