- Date
- July 24, 1997, 10:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Corona, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N732DDCessna T210L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 7, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970724019599A
- Case key
- 29847
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 pilot's improper landing flare. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the pilot to correct a landing induced porpoise, and go-around.
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 reported that he flared higher than he would have liked which made his landing too hard and the airplane to porpoise. The nose gear failed causing a fire which totally consumed the aircraft. He did not attempt a go-around.
Factual narrative
On July 24, 1997, about 1000 hours Pacific daylight time, a Cessna T210L, N732DD, was destroyed by fire after a hard landing at the Corona, California, airport. Neither the owner/pilot nor the passenger was injured. An instrument flight plan was filed for the personal flight. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the landing. The personal flight originated at Long Beach, California, about 0930.
According to the pilot's report, he began his landing flare higher than he would have liked. He said that this caused his landing to be too hard, the airplane to porpoise twice, and the nose landing gear to collapse. A fire erupted from the ground contact of the nose section. The pilot did not attempt a go-around. There were no reported mechanical problems.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N732DD
- Reported as
- Cessna T210L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- T210L61426
- Airframe hours
- 2,898
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-520, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gary F. Hathaway
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 1997 · 66 hours before
- Departed
- KLGB · Long Beach, CA
- Destination
- AJO · CA
- Airport
- AJO · Corona Municipal, runway 25, 3,200 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 66
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 520 total · 244 in this make and model · 520 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 2.5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- AJO
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.