Cessna 210L accident near Weston, Florida, February 10, 1997
On February 10, 1997 at about 10:00 am local time, a Cessna 210L, registered N115WL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Weston, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factor was thew lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 10, 1997 · about 10:00 am local time
- Place
- Weston, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210L · all 210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N115WL · no longer on the register · serial 21060949
- 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
After the flight departed, the pilot heard noises coming from the engine and elected to make a forced landing in a swampy area. The pilot stated that before departure he performed a preflight inspection, and had 47 gallons total fuel onboard, with 22 gallons in the left wing tank and 25 gallons in the right wing tank. He elected not to refuel because the FBO had run out of fuel, and decided to refuel at the destination airport since he had 'plenty of reserve.' About 25 miles northwest of the departure airport, at an altitude of 5000 to 6000 feet, the pilot heard a 'thud.' He said, '...I realized that I was experiencing a mechanical problem...it seemed at first that I lost a cylinder.' He turned southeast and notified ATC that he was having engine problems. The pilot stated 'my gauges were showing normal indications: 23 inches of manifold pressure, 2500 RPM, 120 pounds of fuel flow.' He then attempted to restart by 'switch[ing] fuel to the left side, turned on [the] fuel pump to prime lines, checked the magnetos on left and right, verified mixture rich, with no re-start successful.' The engine was test run under the supervision of the Safety Board. The engine was run with all the parts that were on the engine at the time of the accident, with the exception of the magnetos, and no discrepancies were noted. Both magnetos were examined under the supervision of the FAA. The magnetos were tested through 3500 RPM with no discrepancies observed.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,554 hours in all; 205 in this make and model; 219 in the last 90 days; 87 in the last 30 days; 1,464 as pilot in command; 697 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,578 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 11, 1996; 674 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OPF Opa-Locka FL at 9:36 am
- Destination: TPA Tampa FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.