Cessna P210N accident near Honesdale, Pennsylvania, June 11, 2001
On June 11, 2001 at about 2:10 pm local time, a Cessna P210N, registered N450M, was destroyed in an accident near Honesdale, Pennsylvania. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An improperly manufactured torquemeter gearshaft assembly, which resulted in gearshaft assembly failure, an N2 overspeed, and a subsequent uncontained engine failure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 2001 · about 2:10 pm local time
- Place
- Honesdale, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N450M · no longer on the register · serial P21000631
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The sales demonstration pilot was in the right seat and the prospective buyer was in the left seat. About 1 1/2 hours after takeoff, while in cruise flight at an altitude estimated by a witness to be between 3,000 feet and 3,500 feet, an explosion occurred in the engine compartment, and white smoke began emanating from the exhaust stacks. The airplane circled down to a forced landing in an area of rolling hills, farms, and pastures bordered by stone walls embedded with trees. As the airplane was nearing the ground, a witness saw it make a sharp left turn, then impact trees and a stone wall between two pastures. Area winds at the time of the accident were calm. The airplane was equipped with an overhauled Allison (Rolls Royce Corporation) 250-B17F2 engine which had been installed 9 months, and about 25 operating hours earlier. Teardown examination of the engine after the accident revealed a tri-burst of the third stage turbine wheel, due to an overspeed of N2 after a sudden loss of load on the power train. It also revealed a failure of the torquemeter gearshaft, from a crack which initiated in an area of intergranular separation, and subsequently progressed in high cycle fatigue. The intergranular separation resulted from "stress corrosion mechanisms during the AMS 2485 black oxide treatment [process]." The torquemeter gearshaft had been installed during the engine overhaul.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,553 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 15, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Co-pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,311 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 13, 2000; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,016 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison 250-B17F/2 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: O & N Aircraft Modifications, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: 9N3 Factoryville PA at 12:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from AVP, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N450M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.