Cessna T210M N732UH

Summary

On 21 December 1996 at about 02:00 local time, a Cessna T210M registered N732UH, operated by Daniel N. Garon, was involved in an accident near Lexington, Kentucky, United States. 5 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 December 1996 at 02:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Lexington, Kentucky, United States

Nearest airport

Blue Grass (LEX)

Coordinates

38.0698, -84.5803

Aircraft

Cessna T210M

Registration

N732UH

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Daniel N. Garon

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Birmingham → Elyria

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

NYC97LA035

1 person had minor injuries.

failure of #5 exhaust valve and/or #5 exhaust valve guide, which resulted in a progressive engine failure (debris puncturing the #5 piston crown, exhaust gasses entering the crankcase, loss of oil through the breather system, oil exhaustion, and subsequent damage to the engine bearings and connecting rods). Darkness and obstructions (vehicles) in the emergency landing area were related factors.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The Cessna 210 was cruising at 11,000 ft at night, when the engine began to run rough & lose power. The pilots attempted to fly to an airport with suitable services, but all engine power was lost. The pilots then performed a forced landing on a divided highway. During the landing, two vehicles were struck. Examination of the airplane & engine revealed oil on the underside of the fuselage & a hole on the top of the engine case. Further examination revealed the #5 exhaust valve guide had fractured just below the flange that seated the guide into the cylinder head, with evidence of fatigue. The #5 exhaust valve was fractured between the valve head & stem; but the cause of this fracture could not be determine due to impact damage to the fractured surfaces. The #5 intake valve was also partially broken, but fracture of this valve appeared to have been from overload, due to impact with debris inside the cylinder. Also, the #5 piston crown was found mutilated, & a hole was broken through the crown to the interior. Additionally, the main bearings and connecting rod bearings were damaged due to a lack of lubrication, and the #2 and #4 connecting rods had failed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.