# NTSB FTW96LA184: Cessna T210M, N724YY, El Paso, TX, April 26, 1996 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 26, 1996, 14:30 local (20:30 UTC) - Place: El Paso, TX - Location: 31.7587° N, 106.4869° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of El Paso, TX, within about 9 miles (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.7587&lon=-106.4869&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor, 3 uninjured; on the ground: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report September 9, 1996 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 19816 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW96LA184 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/19816/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96LA184 ## Probable cause failure of the #2 cylinder connecting rod bolt due to oil starvation as a result of the shifting of the main bearing. A factor was the unsuitable terrain for the forced landing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - mech failure/malf, maneuvering - engine assembly,bearing - shifted (cause) - lubricating system,oil port/passage,internal - blocked(total) (cause) - engine assembly,connecting rod bolt - failure (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - On ground/water collision with object, landing - roll - object - vehicle - object - pole - terrain condition - none suitable (contributing factor) ## Analysis While entering a left base leg for landing, the engine lost power. A forced landing to a city street was executed. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with a pickup truck, light poles, and a retaining wall. Internal examination of the engine revealed the #2 main bearing had heat damage and had spun. The #2 rod cap bearing had heavy wear and was heat discolored. ## Factual narrative On April 26, 1996, about 1430 mountain daylight time, a Cessna T210M, N724YY, registered to a private owner, and operated by Gene's Flight School as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 aerial photography flight, was destroyed during a forced landing near El Paso, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed. The commercial pilot and his two passengers were not injured. A person in a pickup truck that the airplane struck received minor injuries. The flight originated from El Paso, Texas, about 1 hour 15 minutes before the accident. According to a FAA inspector, the airplane was entering a left base for runway 26L at El Paso International Airport when the airplane's engine lost power. A forced landing to Yarbrough street was executed. During the landing roll, the airplane collided with a pickup truck, light poles, and a retaining wall. Initial examination of the engine by the FAA inspector revealed the #2 cylinder connecting rod had penetrated the case. According to the inspector, the #2 cylinder had been replaced on April 4, 1996, about 9 hours prior to the accident. An internal inspection of the engine revealed that the #2 main bearing "had very heavy heat damage and melting, and had spun." The #2 rod cap bolts were separated, and the rod cap bearing had heavy wear and was heat discolored. ## Aircraft - Registration: N724YY (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Cessna T210M - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 21062782 - Airframe hours: 3332 - Engines: Continental TSIO-520R 285 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Other work use, Part 91 - Operator: Gene'S Flight School - Registered owner: Richard L. Andis - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, April 4, 1996, 9 hours before - Departed: ELP - Flight plan: Unknown - Airport: ELP, El Paso International ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 27; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 541 total, 33 in this make and model, 380 as pilot in command, 35 in the last 90 days, 15 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 170° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 21 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: ELP ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19960426008799A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960426008799A), Apr 26, 1996: Cessna T210M, El Paso, TX, Destroyed. Lost power on base at elpaso. Landed on a street. Collided with a truck. Engine threw a rod thru engine case. (-23) aircraft was approximately 1 hour, 15… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.