Cessna T210L N1650X

Summary

On 25 July 2015 at about 17:30 local time, a Cessna T210L registered N1650X, operated by St. Croix Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Duluth, Minnesota, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 July 2015 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Duluth, Minnesota, United States

Nearest airport

Sky Harbor (DYT)

Coordinates

46.7247, -92.0471

Aircraft

Cessna T210L

Registration

N1650X

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Engines

1

Operator

St. Croix Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

St Paul → Duluth

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA15CA206

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear prior to landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's diverted attention to another airplane in the vicinity and that he inaccurately perceived the gear warning horn annunciator as the TCAS annunciator.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he began his descent in the airport traffic pattern when another airplane announced its position in the vicinity of the airport. The pilot turned his attention to the traffic and located it visually. The traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) annunciated in the proximity of the other airplane. The turn to the base leg was made after passing the traffic. During the base and final legs, the gear warning horn annunciated and the pilot stated he had mistaken it for the TCAS. The pilot landed with the gear retracted and the airplane sustained substantial damage to fuselage supporting structure. The pilot reported he was wearing noise cancelling headphones during the flight but did state he was able to hear the gear warning horn annunciate. After the accident, the airplane was placed on jacks and the landing gear was extended using the airplane's own systems and there was no indication of abnormal operation. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.