Cessna 210L accident near St. Augustine, Florida, October 8, 1983
On October 8, 1983 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 210L, registered N1778X, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Augustine, Florida (St. Augustine airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 1983 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- St. Augustine, Florida · St. Augustine · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210L · all 210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N1778X · no longer on the register · serial 21060798
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LANDED GEAR UP AFTER THE LANDING GEAR COULD BE EXTENDED IN FLIGHT. THE PLT STATED DURING THE APP TO ST. AUGUSTINE ATTEMPTS TO LOWER THE GEAR WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE GEAR DOORS WOULD OPEN AND THE HYDRAULIC PUMP WAS WORKING BUTTHE GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND. ATTEMPTS TO MANUALLY HAND PUMP IT DOWN WERE ALSO UNSUCCESSFUL. POST CRASH INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEM HAD EVIDENCE OF WATER AND THE FLOW CONTROL MANIFOLD ASSEMBLY VALVE HAD RUSTED CAUSING THE GEAR DOORS TO OPERATE IMPROPERLY.
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: 491 hours in all; 151 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 400 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,059 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 4, 1983; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO 520 L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ISM Kissimmee FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from CRG, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.