- Date
- May 24, 2005, 20:00 local (May 25, 2005, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Harvey, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5120QCessna 210L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20050524009579A
- Case key
- 61571
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A contributing factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The 520-hour commercial pilot departed on a 10-minute repositioning flight. The engine stopped producing power when he reduced power in preparation to land. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and made a forced landing to a drainage ditch with the gear retracted. Approximately 23.5 gallons of fuel were removed from each wing, and it was absent of debris or water. The engine was test-run on the airframe utilizing the airplane's fuel system. The engine started immediately and ran without interruption. No mechanical deficiencies were noted.
Factual narrative
On May 24, 2005, at 1940 central daylight time, a single engine Cessna 210L airplane, N5120Q, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a reported loss of engine power near Harvey, Louisiana. The commercial pilot, sole occupant of the airplane, was not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Southern Seaplane, Incorporated, of Belle Chasse, Louisiana. No flight plan was filed for the flight that originated from the Louis Armstrong/New Orleans International Airport (MSY), near New Orleans, Louisiana, about 1930, and was destined for the Belle Chasse Seaplane Airport (65LA), near Belle Chasse, Louisiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the repositioning flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The 520-hour pilot reported that he departed New Orleans for Belle Chasse (a 10-minute flight) and climbed to an altitude of 1,300 feet above ground level. As the pilot prepared to land, he reduced power to extend the landing gear, during which time, the engine stopped producing power. The pilot was unable to maintain altitude and elected to make a forced landing to a drainage ditch. He elected to land gear up, and the airplane came to rest in about three feet of water.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector performed an on-scene examination of the airplane. According to the inspector, the left stabilizer was damaged and the elevator was separated from the airplane. The tips of the propeller blades were also damaged. Approximately 23.5 gallons of fuel were removed from each wing, and it was absent of debris or water. The Continental IO-520 engine was test-run on the airframe utilizing the airplane's fuel system. The engine started immediately and ran without interruption. No mechanical deficiencies were noted.
Weather at the time of the accident was reported as wind from 210 degrees at 11 knots, visibility 10 miles, and temperature 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5120Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 210L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 210-59620
- Engine
- Continental IO-520, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Southern Seaplane Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- MSY · New Orleans, LA
- Destination
- 65LA · Belle Chasse, LA
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 48
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Flight hours
- 520 total · 200 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.