Cessna 210G accident near Lake Placid, Florida, February 12, 1999
On February 12, 1999 at about 1:21 pm local time, a Cessna 210G, registered N5874F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lake Placid, Florida. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a total loss of engine power due to an in-flight separation of the crankshaft, caused by a fatigue crack that originated from the aft fillet radius of the No. 2 main journal, resulting in a forced landing in a field and impact with a tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 12, 1999 · about 1:21 pm local time
- Place
- Lake Placid, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210G · all 210Gs on the register
- Registration
- N5874F · no longer on the register · serial 21058874
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The purpose of the flight was to position the airplane at the Miami's Opa Locka Airport. At an altitude of 5,000 feet agl under radar control, the pilot heard a 'snap/thud, followed by a popping noise,' and subsequent engine and propeller stoppage. An airborne restart was unsuccessful, and the propeller would not turn. The pilot realized he could not make it safely to an airport, and landed the airplane in a pasture. The airplane struck a tree, separating the left wing from the airframe. The nose and right main landing gear collided with a gully causing them to separate. According to the operator's records the subject engine was remanufactured by Continental Motors on December 9, 1997, and had 1622.9 hours of operating time since it was installed. The crankshaft was examined at the NTSB Materials Laboratory, and revealed that the crankshaft separated due to a fatigue crack that originated from the aft fillet radius of the No. 2 main journal. The fatigue area contained circumferential gouge marks and heat damage that was consistent with a bearing shell that had rotated or shifted. The bearing shell from the No. 1 rod journal also contained wear damage on the aft and forward edges that were consistent with shifting during engine operation.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,662 hours in all; 380 in this make and model; 284 in the last 90 days; 92 in the last 30 days; 1,516 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,690 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1999; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-16B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Red Baron Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: XO5 Brooksville FL at 12:45 pm
- Destination: OPF Opa Locka FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 400 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:45 pm from PGD, 48 miles away
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.