- Date
- July 7, 2009, 11:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Corona, CA
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5287ACessna T210N
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 19, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20090707013579A
- Case key
- 74309
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 inadequate flare during touchdown, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The approach to the runway was normal and the pilot configured the airplane for landing. The airplane touched down on the runway surface hard, resulting in it bouncing down the runway two or three times. The nose landing gear subsequently collapsed and the airplane came to rest over halfway down the runway. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine. Inspection of the airframe found that the firewall was substantially damaged.
Factual narrative
In a written statement, the pilot reported that while en route to his destination airport, the fuel gauges malfunctioned to erroneously indicate empty tanks. With the insistence of his passenger, the pilot opted to divert to the closest airport. The approach was normal and he configured the airplane for landing. The airplane touched down on the runway surface hard, resulting in it bouncing down the runway two or three times. The nose landing gear subsequently collapsed and the airplane came to rest over halfway down the runway. As a result of the impact the airplane sustained damage to the firewall. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5287A
- Reported as
- Cessna T210N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21063349
- Airframe hours
- 2,501
- Engine
- Cont Motor TSIO-520 SER, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Tax Busters Inc
- Registered owner
- Tax Busters Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 6, 2008 · 34 hours before
- Departed
- 5T6 · Santa Teresa, NM
- Destination
- KAJO · Corona, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KAJO · Corona Municipal Airport, runway 07, 3,200 × 59 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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 14, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,700 total · 1,700 in this make and model · 2,694 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.93 inHg
- Observed at
- KAJO
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 24, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 448 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.