Cessna T210 accident near Missoula, Montana, July 9, 2021
On July 9, 2021 at about 4:10 pm local time, a 1967 Cessna T210, registered N6856R, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Missoula, Montana (Missoula Intl airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 extend the landing gear during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to use a pre-landing checklist.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 2021 · about 4:10 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Missoula, Montana · Missoula Intl · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210 G, built 1967 · all T210s on the register
- Registration
- N6856R · no longer on the register · serial T210-0256
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, while on final approach for the full stop landing, he was behind a commercial airliner. He reported that there was no turbulence and that the flaps were fully extended. The airplane subsequently landed with the landing gear retracted which resulted in substantial damage to the external longerons on the lower fuselage. The pilot indicated that he did not use a pre-landing checklist. An examination of the landing gear system revealed no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated other cases naming the landing gear
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 32S Stevensville MT at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12/3, 9,501 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from KMSO
Weather report (METAR): KMSO 091553Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 21/06 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP181 T02060061=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on January 18, 2022. 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 Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Owner Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Airport Leo Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum, for Record - Usfs Landing Gear and Lower Fuselage Exam | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Memorandum for Record - No 6120.1 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N6856R: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna T210 Turbo Centurion 1,282 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520-C 386 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Missoula Montana Airport · nearest airport
- Stevensville Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,047 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR21LA285.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.