6 Mar 2011: CESSNA 210

6 Mar 2011: CESSNA 210 (N9400T) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Pahrump, NV, United States

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear prior to touchdown and his improper decision to abort a gear-up landing following a propeller strike.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On March 5, 2011, about 1700 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 210, N9400T, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing at the Calvada Meadows Airport (NV74), Pahrump, Nevada. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from Jean, Nevada, about 1600 with an intended destination of NV74.

In a written statement, the pilot reported that during landing on runway 15, he realized that he had not extended the landing gear after he “felt the belly hit [the runway]” and initiated a go-around. During the go-around, the pilot extended the landing gear. As the airplane ascended through about 150 to 200 feet above ground level, the airplane began to lose power and the pilot initiated a forced landing to an adjacent field. During the landing roll, with the landing gear in the down position, the airplane encountered soft uneven terrain and the airplane nosed over.

Post accident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the vertical stabilizer was bent. The left and right wings were buckled about mid-span and the engine firewall was bent. The inspector reported that examination of the runway revealed numerous gouges within the runway surface that were consistent with a propeller strike.

The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.

Contributing factors

  • cause Pilot
  • cause Pilot
  • cause Not used/operated

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 240/04kt, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.