- Date
- September 26, 1989, 20:02 local (Sep 27, 1989, 03:02 UTC)
- Place
- Newport Beach, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9615XCessna 210B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report September 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890926036299A
- Case key
- 26512
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 fatigue failure of the engine's crankshaft, resulting in a total loss of power over unsuitable terrain. The pilot ditched the airplane because he was unable to glide to shore.
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 pilot, who had just purchased the aircraft, expereinced a total loss of engine power while cruising & he ditched his aircraft in a harbor. The aircraft sank. Upon its subsequent recovery, it was examined, & its crankshaft was found fractured. A metallurgical exam revealed the presence of a surface origin fatigue crack, which had propagated in the area of the no 4 crankshaft cheek between, the no 2 main journal & the no 3 crankpin journal. The fracture had initiated in the forward fillet radius of the no 2 main journal. No evidence was found of any preexisting material defects in the crankshaft metal. About 10 years & 1166 operating hours before the accident, the engine had reportedly undergone a major overhaul. The aircraft's maintenance records were incomplete & the adequacy of the previous maintenance could not be adequately documented.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9615X
- Reported as
- Cessna 210B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21057915
- Airframe hours
- 4,170
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-S, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David Gibbs
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 1, 1989 · 19 hours before
- Departed
- PSP · Palm Springs, CA
- Destination
- VNY · Van Nuys, CA
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 3,600 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N9615X · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.