Cessna 210 accident near San Bernardino, California, December 30, 2017
On December 30, 2017 at about 4:30 am local time, a 1968 Cessna 210, registered N222AT, was substantially damaged in an accident during prior to flight near San Bernardino, California (San Bernardino Intl 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 fatigue failure of the left main landing gear (MLG) saddle, which resulted in the pilot's inability to extend the left MLG. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper decision to fly the airplane before the annual inspection was completed and the airplane returned to service in an airworthy condition.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 2017 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- San Bernardino, California · San Bernardino Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210 J, built 1968 · all 210s on the register
- Registration
- N222AT · registry record · serial 21059098
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was at a maintenance facility for an annual inspection, which had not been completed, and the airplane had not been returned to an airworthy condition. Despite this, the private pilot picked up his airplane from the maintenance facility to fly it to his base airport. While in the traffic pattern, the pilot lowered the main landing gear (MLG) but noted that the left MLG was not fully extended. The pilot attempted to manually extend the MLG to no avail and subsequently landed the airplane with the left MLG retracted. Postaccident examination of the left MLG revealed that the saddle assembly had fractured. The assembly was removed for metallurgical examination, which revealed that the saddle fracture surfaces exhibited features consistent with fatigue. An airworthiness directive (AD) required that the MLG saddles be inspected for cracks using the dye-penetrant procedure as part of the annual inspection. The mechanic who was conducting the annual inspection reported that he had not inspected the landing gear before the pilot took the airplane and that he had informed the pilot that the annual inspection was not complete and that he was not signing the airplane off as airworthy. It is likely that, if the AD had been complied with and the pilot had not taken the airplane before the annual inspection was complete, the preexisting crack would likely have been identified during the inspection of the MLG saddles.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during prior to flight defining event
- Miscellaneous/other during prior to flight
- Landing gear not configured during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › Scheduled maint checks › Not inspected
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › Return to service › Not inspected
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 650 hours in all; 250 in this make and model
- Last flight review: September 25, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,120 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 29, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 3,850 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 550 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CNO Chino CA at 3:15 am
- Destination: SBD San Bernardino CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06, 10,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 004° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from KSBD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on November 8, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materials Laboratory Report | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Email - FAA | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Record of Email - Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | FAA Asi Interview Statement with Dennis Trevino A&p, Ia for N222AT Incident | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Ad 76-14-07 R2 Cessna | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Log Book Entries | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Accident Photos | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.