Cessna T210N accident near Teterboro, New Jersey, March 9, 2002
On March 9, 2002 at about 6:58 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N2BS, was destroyed in an accident near Teterboro, New Jersey (Teterboro airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Improper maintenance by other maintenance personnel, which resulted in the air filter element being sucked into and blocking the turbocharger inlet, and a subsequent power loss. Factors in the accident were the pilot's failure to maintain airspeed and the tail wind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 2002 · about 6:58 pm local time
- Place
- Teterboro, New Jersey · Teterboro · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N2BS · no longer on the register · serial 21063095
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Several witnesses observed the Cessna T210N on initial climb, and then heard a reduction of engine power. Some witnesses thought the nose had pitched up after the power reduction, and prior to the airplane turning left and descending. The airplane banked left, descended, and struck the ground on airport property. A post-crash fire started within seconds after the airplane came to rest and consumed the cabin of the airplane. Examination of the engine revealed that the air filter element was lodged into the turbocharger air intake, and adjacent ducting. The single screen on the air filter was found on the air intake side. Installation instructions specify that with a single screen, the screen should be on the engine side of the air filter element. The air filter element had been changed during an annual inspection, about 2 1/2 months, and 30 hours prior to the accident. The specified change interval for the filter element was 12 months, 200 hours, or when the filter element was 50 % covered by foreign material. The initial emergency procedure for loss of engine power after takeoff was to maintain an airspeed of 85 knots.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,065 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 3,950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,335 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 21, 2001; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TEB Teterboro NJ at 6:57 pm
- Destination: MTP Montauk NY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 6,013 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 16 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from TEB
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.