Cessna 210D accident near El Monte, California, April 5, 1999
On April 5, 1999 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Cessna 210D, registered N2340F, was substantially damaged in an accident near El Monte, California. 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
A loss of engine power due to the fatigue failure of the mixture control cable, which was due to the improper installation and adjustment of the cable 99 hours prior to the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 5, 1999 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- El Monte, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210D · all 210Ds on the register
- Registration
- N2340F · no longer on the register · serial 21058540
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircraft had reached its cruise altitude of 8,500 feet when the engine smoothly quit. The pilot contacted a nearby airport control tower, reported the power failure, and said he needed to land. The local controller cleared the flight to land on any runway. Shortly thereafter, the pilot radioed that he would not make the field and landed gear-up in a dry wash area. During the landing, the aircraft collided with trees and an embankment. Examination of the airplane disclosed that the mixture control cable was fractured and disconnected from the cable's rod-eye end, which was still attached to the mixture arm of the fuel metering unit. The break in the cable was at the engine rod-eye end of the flexible cable at the point where the cable is swaged onto the rod. A metal outer sheath slides over the rod and the eye end of the rod is longitudinally adjustable so that the rod and cable can ride inside the outer metal sheath to provide support against bending loads. The length adjustment nuts on the rod-eye end were found adjusted all the way down so that the cable to rod swage point was outside the sheath at the full rich mixture setting. Metallurgical examination of the cable found that it failed in fatigue due to excessive and repetitive bending. According to the maintenance records, the mixture control cable was replaced at the last annual inspection on June 2, 1998, 99 hours prior to the accident. No other anomalies were found with the engine or its related systems.
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: 180 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,778 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 2, 1998; 99 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: POC Pamona CA at 4:30 pm
- Destination: SMX Santa Maria CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:47 pm from EMT, 2 miles away
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.