Cessna P210 accident near Novato, California, August 1, 2019
On August 1, 2019 at about 11:15 pm local time, a 1981 Cessna P210, registered N234SB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Novato, California (Gnoss Field). It was a business 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilots’ improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and collapse of the nose landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 2019 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Novato, California · Gnoss Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210 N, built 1981 · all P210s on the register
- Registration
- N234SB · registry record · serial P21000673
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, after making a normal approach, the airplane touched down on the runway surface and bounced. The airplane touched down again, resulting in the nose gear collapsing. The propeller contacted the runway, and the airplane veered off the asphalt, coming to rest in the grass median. A postaccident examination of the nose gear revealed that signatures were consistent with the nose strut failing as a result of a heavy aft force that would occur with an extreme nose-low impact or encounter with an obstacle. The damage incurred to the airplane supported the likelihood that the airplane touched down hard on the nose gear.
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 collapse during landing (landing roll)
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,125 hours in all; 402 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 36 in the last 30 days; 880 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,388 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 2019; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,016 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-B17f/2 (turboprop); 1,609 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGD Ogden UT at 7:45 pm
- Destination: DVO Novato CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 3,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 pm from KDVO, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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 WPR19LA231.