Cessna 210N accident near Morgan, Utah, December 26, 2022
On December 26, 2022 at about 11:45 pm local time, a 1981 Cessna 210N, registered N210CU, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Morgan, Utah (Morgan County 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
Failure of the brake system O-rings on the left landing gear trunnion, which allowed the hydraulic fluid to drain from the left brake system, resulting in a runway excursion and impact with a fence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 26, 2022 · about 11:45 pm local time
- Place
- Morgan, Utah · Morgan County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210N, built 1981 · all 210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N210CU · registry record · serial 21064452
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported a failure of the left brake during the landing roll. The airplane departed the runway surface and impacted a fence, which cause substantial damage to the empennage, right elevator, and horizontal stabilizers. Postaccident examination of the brake system revealed that the left brake master cylinder reservoir was completely empty. It was serviced and tested with no failure or leaks identified. Further examination of the brake system included the removal of the main landing gear pivot trunnion. It revealed that the O-rings, while not visibly damaged, were flat and stiff, which likely allowed the brake fluid to leak out from the main landing gear trunnion to the actuator interface joint when the landing gear was retracted.
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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear brakes system › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Brake › Inoperative
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Hydraulic fluid › Fluid level
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 973.2 hours in all; 64.1 in this make and model; 79.2 in the last 90 days; 20.5 in the last 30 days; 648.6 as pilot in command; 320.2 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 27, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,501 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, September 25, 2022
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-550-F (piston); 603 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPK Spanish Fork UT at 3:50 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 3,904 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from KHIF, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KHIF 262355Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 05/01 A3017 RMK AO2 SLP215 T00520006 10079 20034 55014 FZRANO $=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on June 20, 2024. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Brake Inspection | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | 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.
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.