Cessna 210L accident near Columbus, Ohio, December 4, 1999
On December 4, 1999 at about 7:07 pm local time, a Cessna 210L, registered N1773X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Columbus, Ohio (Ohio State University airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to verify landing gear extension. Factors were the unreliable retraction/extension assembly, and the flying club's continued operation of the airplane with known deficiencies in the equipment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 4, 1999 · about 7:07 pm local time
- Place
- Columbus, Ohio · Ohio State University · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210L · all 210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N1773X · no longer on the register · serial 21060794
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot positioned the landing gear selector to the 'DOWN' position, saw the nose gear extended in a mirror, and landed on the runway. During the landing, the main landing gear collapsed, the airplane skidded, and came to rest on the runway. Before the landing, the pilot did not confirm the green landing gear light was illuminated. He heard a horn before landing, but thought it was a stall warning horn. Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration Inspector revealed that the landing gear motor circuit breaker was in the tripped position. According to the pilot, the motor would occasionally overheat. The president of the flying club would ask pilots to keep landing gear cycles to a minimum. Because of the past problems with the motor, the landing gear was kept primarily in the extended position during the pilot's two instructional flights prior to the accident flight. The pilot had never heard the landing gear warning horn prior to the accident flight.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 375 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 288 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,436 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 19, 1999; 130 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: National Flyers Association
The flight
- Departed from: OSU at 5:40 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27L, 5,004 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from OSU
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.