- Date
- November 20, 1990, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Fallbrook, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9139MCessna 210M
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901120051529A
- Case key
- 27064
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 failure of the number 5 cylinder piston connecting rod due to bending and subsequent fatigue fracture. Contributing to the accident was the improper starting procedure accomplished by an unidentified person which resulted in excessive fuel in the cylinder resulting in a hydraulic lock within the number 5 cylinder.
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
A Cessna 210M lost eng power and collided with a pole after a forced landing on a city street. The engine crankcase was fractured and the #5 piston connecting rod had separated from the eng and was found along the wreckage path. Exam of the number 5 cylinder wall disclosed evidence of the area below the normal piston stroke being scraped by the piston rings. According to the metallurgic report, the piston's connecting rod failed due to a fatigue crack. The connecting rod was bent some time after initial eng operation. The bending that occurred to the no. 5 connecting rod is characteristic of an hyd lock condition where the piston is forced against incompressible fluids between the piston and cylinder head. No indication of metallurgical defect was observed in the connecting rod. Hardness readings on the connecting rod, which indicates the strength, conformed to material specifications. The maintenance records note that a major overhaul was accomplished 207.8 hours before the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9139M
- Reported as
- Cessna 210M
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 62064
- Airframe hours
- 1,942
- Engine
- Continental IO-520L, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Self Enterprises
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 9, 1989 · 208 hours before
- Destination
- Unknown
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 500 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.