Cessna T210M accident near Portland, Oregon, May 27, 2001
On May 27, 2001 at about 6:45 am local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N761DL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Portland, Oregon (Portland Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A burst hydraulic line and consequent total loss of hydraulic fluid from the landing gear, which disabled landing gear operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 27, 2001 · about 6:45 am local time
- Place
- Portland, Oregon · Portland Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N761DL · registry record · serial 21062173
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On approach to the destination, the landing gear, which is extended by hydraulic actuators powered by an electrically-powered hydraulic power pack, failed to extend. Attempts to recycle the gear and to employ the emergency gear extension procedure (utilizing a hand-operated emergency hydraulic pump) were unsuccessful. The pilot then checked the fluid level in the hydraulic reservoir and found the reservoir empty. He attempted to refill it with various available fluids, but this also proved ineffective in restoring landing gear operation. A passenger succeeded in opening the cabin door and manually pulling the right main gear into the down-and-locked position; the pilot was also able to pull the left main gear into the down position, but the left main gear would not lock down. The pilot subsequently diverted to Portland International Airport (PDX) and performed an emergency landing on runway 28R, an 8,000- by 150-foot grooved asphalt runway. During the emergency landing, the aircraft dropped to a 30-degree left wing down attitude upon touchdown, then turned 180 degrees to the left and came to rest in the grass alongside the runway, sustaining substantial damage in the landing. The pilot reported that a post-accident inspection revealed that a hydraulic line in the nose gear well had burst, allowing a total loss of hydraulic fluid from the system.
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: 954 hours in all; 410 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 877 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 30, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,680 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 29, 2000; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: COE Coeur D'Alene ID at 2:00 am
- Destination: AST Astoria OR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 28R, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 24,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 am from PDX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.