Cessna 210 Engine Separates After Takeoff

Pilot survives accident in Louisiana after aircraft's engine breaks away in flight.

Cessna 210 Engine Separates After Takeoff
[Credit: Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office]
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Key Takeaways:

  • A Cessna 210 crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisiana Regional Airport in Gonzales, Louisiana, after its engine completely separated from the aircraft.
  • The 74-year-old pilot survived the incident with only minor injuries, despite the aircraft landing upside down and the engine being found 100 yards from the main wreckage.
  • The recorded flight lasted less than a minute before the crash occurred.
  • Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the engine separation and the subsequent accident.
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A Cessna 210 went down shortly after takeoff from Louisiana Regional Airport in Gonzales, Louisiana, Tuesday morning after its engine separated completely from the aircraft.

According to local WAFB, Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre confirmed that the engine detached before the airplane went down into a nearby field. The 74-year-old pilot survived with minor injuries.

Engine Found Away From Wreckage

Gonzales Fire Chief Preston Landry told WBRZ that emergency crews discovered the aircraft upside down approximately half a mile from the runway. The engine was located roughly 100 yards from the main wreckage, on a nearby road. Responders arrived around 6 a.m. and found the pilot walking around the crash site.

FlightAware tracking data indicated that the aircraft departed shortly before 5 a.m. and that the recorded flight lasted less than a minute.

[Credit: Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office]

Cause Under Investigation

Authorities have not yet established what caused the engine to separate. Likewise, potential problems involving the engine mounting structure or attachment hardware have not been confirmed. The pilot suffered a minor cut to his head, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Matt Ryan

Matt is AVweb's lead editor. His eyes have been turned to the sky for as long as he can remember. Now a fixed-wing pilot, instructor and aviation writer, Matt also leads and teaches a high school aviation program in the Dallas area. Beyond his lifelong obsession with aviation, Matt loves to travel and has lived in Greece, Czechia and Germany for studies and for work.
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