Cessna T210 accident near Bridgeport, California, September 25, 2020
On September 25, 2020 at about 7:38 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna T210, registered N300JS, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR go-around) near Bridgeport, California (Bryant Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent retraction of the flaps during a go-around by the pilot-rated passenger, which caused the airplane to settle onto the runway with the landing gear retracted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 2020 · about 7:38 pm local time
- Place
- Bridgeport, California · Bryant Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210 M, built 1978 · all T210s on the register
- Registration
- N300JS · no longer on the register · serial 21062717
- 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, during landing, he elected to go-around because of an overshoot of final and an unstable approach. The pilot applied full power, raised the landing gear, and initiated a climb out. At the same time, the pilot-rated passenger, inadvertently raised the flaps prematurely, which caused the airplane to settle onto the runway with the landing gear retracted. Once the propeller contacted the runway surface, the airplane veered off to the right of the runway and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane 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
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (VFR go-around) defining event
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action selection › Passenger
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › TE flap control system › Unintentional use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 21,000 hours in all; 485 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 19,000 as pilot in command; 3,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 12, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 Seri (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CCR Concord CA at 5:35 pm
- Destination: BIH Bishop CA
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 16, 3,854 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 12:52 pm from KBAN, 15 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KBAN 252052Z AUTO 23022G31KT 10SM CLR 07/M04 A3005 RMK AO2 PK WND 24039/2009 SLP179 60000 T00721039 56033 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 20, 2021. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Picture | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N300JS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.