NYC00LA128

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna P210N · Elizabethtown, KY · May 6, 2000

Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
May 6, 2000, 15:25 local (19:25 UTC)
Place
Elizabethtown, KY
Injuries
1 minor, 3 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N67YCessna P210N
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report December 4, 2000
Report
Approved by Office Director
FAA report
20000506012519A
Case key
49136

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 loss of control due to his improper application of power and rudder, in order to arrest a swerve during the landing roll.

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.

Loss of control - on ground/waterLanding - roll
Remedial action - improperPilot in commandCause

Analysis

Upon touchdown, the airplane swerved to the right. The pilot applied power and left rudder to correct the swerve. According to the pilot, 'The correction was an overcorrection which pulled the aircraft to the left.' The airplane departed the runway to the left. As it did so, it hit a trough along the runway's edge, and followed it for about 300 feet before the nose landing gear separated. Approximately 50 feet beyond that, the propeller assembly also separated from the airplane. The airplane came to rest with the nose of the airplane and right wingtip on the ground, and the right main landing gear collapsed into the wheel well. Winds were 20 degrees to the left of centerline, at 9 knots.

Factual narrative

On May 6, 2000, about 1525 Eastern Daylight Time, a turbine-powered Cessna P210N, N67Y, was substantially damaged during a landing at Addington Field (EKX), Elizabethtown, Kentucky. The certificated private pilot was uninjured, two passengers were uninjured, and one passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed for the local personal flight, conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

According to the pilot, during touchdown on Runway 23, the airplane swerved to the right. The pilot applied power and left rudder to correct the swerve. "The correction was an overcorrection which pulled the aircraft to the left." The pilot pulled back on the yoke as the airplane was going off the runway, to prevent the nosewheel from digging into the rough terrain and a subsequent nose-over. However, at some point, the "nosewheel apparently came off as the aircraft slowed, and the propeller struck the ground, resulting in destruction of the engine." In addition, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wingtip struck the ground.

According to an inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there was a skid mark on Runway 23 that arced toward the left side of the runway. The mark continued approximately 100 feet, before another skid mark was also seen. The distance between the marks was the approximate distance between the nose gear and the right main landing gear on the accident airplane. Both skid marks proceeded off the runway, into a grassy area. "The skid marks turned into a trough at the runway edge." The trough continued for about 300 feet, where the inspector found that the nose landing gear had separated from the airplane. Approximately 50 feet beyond the nose gear, the inspector found the propeller assembly, which also had separated from the airplane. The airplane came to rest, "with the nose of the aircraft and right wing tip on the ground and the right main gear collapsed into the wheel well."

Winds, recorded at the airport about 35 minutes after the accident, were from 210 degrees magnetic, at 9 knots.

Aircraft

Registration
N67Y
Reported as
Cessna P210N
Category
Airplane
Serial number
P21000772
Airframe hours
2,500
Engine
Allison 250B 17 F/2, 450 horsepower, turbo prop
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Richard F. Fox
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · October 15, 1999 · 47 hours before
Departed
EKX
Airport
EKX · Addington Field, runway 23, 5,000 × 75 ft, asphalt

Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
71
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
Seat
Left
Flight hours
2,848 total · 90 in this make and model · 2,848 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
210° at 9 knots
Visibility
5 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
75 °F, dew point 70 °F
Altimeter
30.00 inHg
Observed at
EKX

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.