Cessna 210L accident near Zelienople, Pennsylvania, July 22, 2002
On July 22, 2002 at about 3:30 am local time, a Cessna 210L, registered N732AK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Zelienople, Pennsylvania (Zelienople Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot failure to follow the published aborted landing procedures, with the retraction of the flaps to 10 degrees prior to reaching a safe altitude and airspeed, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2002 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Zelienople, Pennsylvania · Zelienople Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210L · all 210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N732AK · no longer on the register · serial 21061361
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot canceled his IFR clearance near his planned destination, and then maneuvered the airplane to land. The airplane touchdown approximately 2,050 feet down the 4,102-foot long runway, and then bounced back into the air. The pilot aborted the landing, retracted the landing gear, and reduced the flaps to approximately 10 degrees before reaching 50 feet agl. The airplane began to lose altitude, and then impacted trees. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions, nor did the pilot report any. The Airplane Flying Handbook," stated that retracting the flaps could decrease lift and cause the airplane to sink rapidly, during a go-around. The POH stated that the flaps should be immediately reduced to 20 degrees, and then retracted slowly after reaching a safe altitude.
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: 662 hours in all; 332 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 602 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 5, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,079.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 25, 2002; 98.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BMG Bloomington IN
- Destination: 8G7 Zelienople PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 4,102 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 am from BTP, 10 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.