Cessna 210D accident near Twin Falls, Idaho, December 17, 1988
On December 17, 1988 at about 10:25 pm local time, a Cessna 210D, registered N3815Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Twin Falls, Idaho (Twin Falls airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 17, 1988 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Twin Falls, Idaho · Twin Falls · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210D · all 210Ds on the register
- Registration
- N3815Y · registry record · serial 21058315
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO LANDING, THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO LOWER THE NOSE GEAR BY USING EITHER THE NORMAL OR EMERGENCY SYSTEMS. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE LANDED THE ACFT WITH THE MAIN GEAR EXTENDED & THE NOSE GEAR IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. AFTER LANDING, THE NOSE GEAR UPLOCK ACTUATOR WAS REMOVED FROM THE ACFT & INSPECTED, BUT NO ABNORMALITIES WERE FOUND.
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
- Flight time: 1,391 hours in all; 342 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 1,310 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,290 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1988; 100 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: High Country Aero Club
The flight
- Departed from: SUN Hailey ID at 9:15 pm
- Destination: TWF Twin Falls ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 8,703 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 12:25 pm from TWF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA89LA028.