Cessna 210B accident near Caldwell, Idaho, April 15, 2013
On April 15, 2013 at about 4:00 am local time, a Cessna 210B, registered N9685X, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Caldwell, Idaho (Caldwell Industrial 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 pilot’s failure to lower the landing gear, which resulted in a gear-up hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 15, 2013 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Caldwell, Idaho · Caldwell Industrial Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210B · all 210Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9685X · no longer on the register · serial 21057985
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that when the airplane was on short final for the nighttime landing, he realized that he had forgotten to put the airplane’s landing gear in the down position. He added full power for a go-around; however, the airplane impacted the runway hard and skidded to a stop. The pilot exited the airplane, and a postimpact fire ensued. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear not configured during landing defining event
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 600 hours in all; 415 in this make and model; 600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 28, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,423 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 2013; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,907 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continential Motors IO-470 Series (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Mccrory Co LLC
The flight
- Departed from: EUL Caldwell ID at 3:30 am
- Destination: EUL Caldwell ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from EUL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.