Cessna T210L accident near Olympia, Washington, September 3, 2001
On September 3, 2001, a Cessna T210L, registered N6721M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Olympia, Washington (Olympia Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inability of the landing gear to fully extend due to the failure of a hydraulic hose in the nose gear extension system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 3, 2001
- Place
- Olympia, Washington · Olympia Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210L · all T210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N6721M · no longer on the register · serial 21061137
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the gear lowering sequence, the hose fitting on the nose gear actuator gear-down hydraulic hose separated from the body of the hose. Subsequently, the hydraulic fluid in the gear actuating system drained out of the failed hose. The pilot was then unable to move any of the gear from their position at the time of the failure. He was therefore forced to land the aircraft with the nose gear in the full-down position, but with both main gear only partially extended. Upon touchdown, both main gear folded back into the wheel well, and the empennage contacted the runway.
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: 1,333 hours in all; 228 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 1,213 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 11, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,035 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 16, 2001; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IAB Empire NV at 8:00 pm
- Destination: OLM Olympia WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 4,100 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.