Cessna 210 Centurion Explained

The Cessna 210 Centurion is a six-seat, high-performance, retractable-gear, single-engined, high-wing general-aviation light aircraft. First flown in January 1957, it was produced by Cessna until 1986.

Development

The early Cessna 210 (210 and 210A) had four seats with a Continental IO-470 engine of 260hp. It was essentially a Cessna 182B to which was added a retractable landing gear, swept tail, and a new wing.

In 1961, the fuselage and wing were completely redesigned: the fuselage was made wider and deeper, and a third side window was added. The wing planform remained the same; constant 64inches chord from centerline to 100inches out, then straight taper to 44inches chord at 208inches from centerline, but the semi-Fowler flaps (slotted, rear-moving) were extended outboard, from wing station 100 to Wing station 122, which allowed a lower landing speed. FAA certification regulations state that a single-engined aircraft must have a flaps-down, power-off stall speed no greater than 70mph. To compensate for the reduced aileron span, the aileron profile was changed and its chord enlarged.

The 1964 model 210D introduced a 285hp engine and two small child seats, set into the cavity that contained the mainwheels aft of the passengers.

In 1967, the model 210G introduced a cantilever wing replacing the strut-braced wing. Its planform changed to a constant taper from root chord to tip chord.

In 1970, the 210K became the first full six-seat model. This was achieved by replacing the flat leaf springs used for the retractable main landing gear struts (undercarriage) with tapered tubular steel struts of greater length. This allowed the tires to be nested farther to the rear of the fuselage, making room for the full-sized rear seats. The Centurion II was an option introduced in 1970 with improved avionics, and was available in both normally aspirated and turbocharged versions (Turbo Centurion II)

In 1979, the 210N model eliminated the folding doors, which previously covered the two retracted main wheels. The tubular spring struts retract into shallow channels along the bottom of the fuselage and the wheels fit snugly in closed depressions on the underside of the fuselage. Some models featured deicing boots as an option.

Design

The aircraft was offered in a normally aspirated version, the model 210, as well as the turbocharged T210 and the pressurized P210 versions.

Operational history

On May 21, 2012, the airworthiness authority responsible for the design, the US Federal Aviation Administration, issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive requiring 3,665 of the cantilever-wing Cessna 210s to be inspected for cracks in the spar cap, wing spar, and wing. Aircraft with more than 10,000 hours of airframe time were grounded immediately pending a visual inspection.^[1]

On May 26, 2019, a Cessna Model T210M airplane suffered an in-flight separation of the right wing. Preliminary investigations found cracking of the wing-spar carry-through where fatigue began from a small corrosion pit on the lower surface of the carry-through. Textron published a mandatory service letter (SEL-57-06) on June 24, 2019, to provide instructions for a detailed visual inspection of the wing carry-through spar. Since it shared a common carry-through design, the Cessna 177 Cardinal also received a similar mandatory service letter (SELF-57-07) and an airworthiness concern from the FAA.^[2] The FAA issued an Airworthiness Directive on February 21, 2020 mandating eddy current inspections of the carry-through spar lower cap, corrective action if necessary, application of a protective coating and corrosion inhibiting compound, and reporting the inspection results to the FAA.^[3] ^[4]

Modifications

A wide range of modifications are available for the Cessna 210, including:

Aeronautical Engineers Australia has developed a life extension package for 210s suffering from wing-spar carry-through beam corrosion.^[5]
Crownair Aviation developed a Centurion Edition T210, which is a remanufactured aircraft introduced in November 2008 that features a glass cockpit and new engine along with other minor refinements.^[6]
Griggs Aircraft Refinishing offers a Rolls-Royce Model 250 turboprop conversion of the T210 and P210N known as the "Silver Eagle". This conversion was previously offered by O&N Aircraft^[7] ^[8]
Riley Rocket offers a restoration and addition of intercooler to Continental TSIO-520 models to boost power from .^[9]
Vitatoe Aviation offers the TN550 conversion which uses a Continental IO-550P engine with an IO-520 turbocharger with dual intercoolers and a larger alternator.^[10]

Variants

The Cessna 210 was manufactured in 26 model variants: C210, C210A-D, the Centurion C210E-H&J, Turbo Centurion T210F-H&J, the Centurion II C210K-N&R, the Turbo Centurion II T210K-N&R and the P210N&R. The 210N, T210N (turbocharged), and P210N (pressurized) versions were produced in the greatest quantity. The rarest and most expensive models were the T210R and P210R, which were produced only in small quantities in 1985-86. Several modifications and optional fittings are also available, including different engine installations, wingtip tanks, speed brakes, short-take-off-and-landing kits, and gear door modifications.

The early strut-winged Cessna 210B was developed into a fixed-gear aircraft known as the Cessna 205. This spawned an entirely new family of Cessna aircraft, including the 206 and the eight-seat 207.^[11]

210

Four-seat production variant with a Continental IO-470-E engine, 40 degree hydraulic flaps, gear doors, introduced in 1960,^[12] first flown in 1957, 575 built.,

210A

A 210 with a third cabin window on each side, production year 1961, 265 built.

210B

A 210A with a cut-down rear fuselage, a rear-vision window and a Continental IO-470-S engine, production year 1962, 245 built.

210C

A 210B with some minor changes, production year 1963, 135 built.

210D Centurion

A 210C fitted with a 2850NaN0 Continental IO-520-A engine and increased takeoff weight to 31000NaN0, production year 1964, 290 built.

210E Centurion

A 210D with some minor changes, production year 1965, 205 built.

210F Centurion / Turbo Centurion

A 210E with some minor changes and with option to use 2850NaN0 turbocharged Continental TSIO-520-C engine, production year 1966, 300 built.

210G Centurion / Turbo Centurion

A 210F with a strutless cantilever wing and modified rear window, increased takeoff weight to 34000NaN0, production year 1967, 228 built.

210H Centurion / Turbo Centurion

A 210G with a new flap system and instrument panel, 210 built. Flap range decreased to 30 degrees, fuel capacity increased from 65to. Production year 1968.

210J Centurion / Turbo Centurion

A 210H with reduced wing dihedral, different nose profile and a Continental IO-520-J (or TSIO-520H) engine, production year 1969, 200 built.

210K Centurion / Turbo Centurion

A 210J with rear changed to full seat to provide six seats, an IO-520-L engine, landing gear changed, enlarged cabin with a single rear side window, weight increased to 38000NaN0, production years 1970-1971, 303 built.

A 210K with nose-mounted landing lights, the electrical system changed to 24 volt, the engine-driven hydraulic pump replaced with an electrical pump and a three-bladed prop fitted. Improved aerodynamics led to an increase in approximately 80NaN0 in cruise speed. Production years 1972–1976, 2070 built.

A 210L with minor changes and option to use 3100NaN0 TSIO-520-R engine, production year 1977-1978, 1381 built.

210N Centurion / Turbo Centurion

A 210M with open wheel wells for main landing gear and had a new gear system and minor changes. Although this change appeared only on the C210N, most early models have had gear doors removed due to extensive maintenance and handling problems, leaving them similar to the "N". Production years 1979-1985, 1943 built.

A 210N with longer-span stabilizers and minor changes, production year 1986, 112 built. A Turbo 210N with pressurized cabin, four windows each side, with a 3100NaN0 Continental TSIO-520-AF engine, production years 1978–1985, 834 built.

A P210N with longer-span stabilizers, increased takeoff weight and a 3250NaN0 Continental TSIO-520-CE engine, production year 1986, 40 built.

Prop Jet Centurion 250

Cessna turboprop conversion of P210 powered by Allison 250-B17 engine. One converted, flying in 1984. No production.

Riley Turbine P-210

Conversion of pressurized Cessna 210P Centurion aircraft, fitted with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-112, flat rated at 5000NaN0. No production.

Silver Eagle II

Turboprop conversion of 210L, T210L or P210N by O&N Aircraft and from 2016, Griggs Aircraft Refinishing. Powered by 4500NaN0 Allison 250-B17 engine. Available from 1992. 114 conversions by 2023.

Operators

Civil

The Cessna 210 is widely used by flight training schools, private operators, air-taxi and commercial charter, and private companies.

Military

Accidents and incidents

August 12, 1964, Charles Clifford Ogle took off in a Cessna 210A, N9492X, flying from Oakland, California to Las Vegas, Nevada. He disappeared and his airplane may have crashed in the Sierra Nevada, California.
On July 12, 1968, Leonard Bendicks hijacked a Cessna 210 from Key West, Florida to Cuba. He was deported to the US in September 1968. On March 4, 1971, he was sentenced to 10 years for kidnapping.^[13]
On August 9, 1981, a Cessna 210M, VH-MDX crashed around the Barrington Tops National Park in New South Wales, killing all five on board. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau report mentions icing, violent weather, and instrument failure.^[14]
On March 5, 1987, a Cessna 210M, N1230M, piloted by car dealer and race car driver Don Yenko, landed hard near Charleston, West Virginia, bounced, hit a dirt bank, and crashed into a ravine, killing all four people aboard.^[15]
While flying N6579X, an early-model 210A, famed test pilot Scott Crossfield crashed and died in the woods of Ludville, Georgia, on April 19, 2006. The National Transportation Safety Board established the probable cause as "[t]he pilot's failure to obtain updated en route weather information, which resulted in his continued instrument flight into a widespread area of severe convective activity, and the air traffic controller's failure to provide adverse weather avoidance assistance, as required by Federal Aviation Administration directives, both of which led to the airplane's encounter with a severe thunderstorm and subsequent loss of control."^[16] ^[17]
On May 26, 2019, about 25 km north‑east of Mount Isa Airport in Australia, the right wing separated from a Cessna T210M. The structural failure led to a rapid loss of control and a collision with terrain. Both crew members were killed, and the aircraft was destroyed. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) found that a pre-existing fatigue crack in the aircraft's wing spar carry-through structure propagated to a critical size resulting in an overstress fracture of the structure and separation of the right wing. The accident resulted in the issue of an airworthiness directive mandating visual and eddy current inspections of the carry-through spar lower cap and the application of a protective coating, plus a corrosion inhibiting compound.^[18] The ATSB stated that this accident would not have occurred if previously mandated inspections, due to past wing failures, had not been extended to be required only every three years. Following this crash a new service bulletin was issued and an FAA Airworthiness Directive, but inspections remained as every three years. The ATSB recommended more action to prevent future wing failures.^[19]

References

Bibliography

Flores. Santiago A.. From Cavalry to Close Air Support. Air International. May 2001. 60 . 5. 298–303. 0306-5634 .
Book: Hagedorn, Daniel P. . Central American and Caribbean Air Forces . 1993 . Tonbridge, Kent, UK . Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd . 0-85130-210-6.
Hatch . Paul F. . World's Air Forces 1986 . . 29 November 1986 . 130 . 4039 . 30–104 . 0015-3710 . 2 April 2019 .
Book: Jackson, Paul . Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004 . 2003 . Jane's Information Group. Coulsdon, UK . 0-7106-2537-5.
Book: Simpson, R. W.. Airlife's General Aviation. 1991 . Airlife Publishing. England . 1-85310-194-X.
Book: Simpson, R. W. . Airlife's General Aviation . 1995 . Second . Shrewsbury, UK . Airlife Publishing Ltd . 1-85310-577-5.
Simpson . Rod . Longley . Pete . Single Turboprop Conversions . Air Britain Aviation World . Autumn 2023 . 158–161 . 1742-996X.
Book: Taylor, John W. R.. John W. R. Taylor . Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982-83. 1982 . Jane's Yearbooks. London . 0-7106-0748-2.

External links

FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet 3A21 Type Certificate Data Sheet for Cessna 210 models.

Notes and References

News: FAA Issues Emergency AD For Cessna 210s . Grady . Mary . 21 May 2012 . AVweb.
Web site: Airworthiness concern sheet, Cessna 177 and 210 with cantilever wing . 27 June 2019 . .
Web site: Airworthiness Directive AD 2020-03-16 . . 21 February 2020.
Web site: Cessna 210 Wing Spar AD Issued . Cook . Marc . AVweb . 3 March 2020 .
Web site: Modifications. Aeronautical Engineers Australia . March 2009 . 2017-07-27. dead . https://archive.today/20050620222845/http://www.aeroengaus.com.au/mods.htm. 2005-06-20.
News: Avidyne Partners With Southern Star & Crownair To Get STC For Entegra Glass Cockpit Retrofit In Cessna 210 Single-Engine Piston Aircraft. Revista aérea. December 21, 2008. July 27, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20181201140706/http://www.revistaaerea.com/2008/12/21/avidyne-partners-with-southern-star-crownair-to-get-stc-for-entegra-glass-cockpit-retrofit-in-cessna-210-single-engine-piston-aircraft/. December 1, 2018. live.
Web site: January 2004: O&N Aircraft . January 2004 . FibreGlast Developments Corp . 2007-10-19 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929140444/http://www.fibreglast.com/contentpages-aircraft-346.html . 2007-09-29 . dead.
Web site: Silver Eagle. 30 May 2019. Griggs Aircraft Refinishing . griggsaircraft.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20180816033014/http://griggsaircraft.com/fabrication/silver_eagle. 16 August 2018.
Air Progress. September 1989. 45. The P-Rocket. Gene . Smith.
Web site: Improving on a Good Thing The venerable Cessna P210N enjoys a welcome improvement. Bill . Cox. 20 August 2012.
Web site: Type Certificate Data Sheet No. 3A21 Revision 47. 27 July 2017. Federal Aviation Administration. February 25, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20110608055550/http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgMakeModel.nsf/0/1c8849e2325c35988625756e006da735/$FILE/3A21%20Rev%2047.pdf. 8 June 2011. live.
Danielle Bruckert and Oleg Roud (2008). Cessna 210 Training Manual. .
http://cuban-exile.com/doc_176-200/doc0180.html Cuban Political Violence in the United States
Web site: Investigation number: 198101477 Cessna 210M, VH-MDX, near Barrington Tops, NSW, 9 August 1981. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171026164130/https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1981/aair/aair198101477.aspx. 26 October 2017. July 27, 2017. Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
http://www.planecrashinfo.com/famous1980s.htm Famous People Who Died in Aviation Accidents - 1980s
Web site: NTSB Releases Final Report on Accident that Killed Famed Aviator Scott Crossfield. September 27, 2007. July 27, 2017.
News: National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report Accident Number: CHI06MA115. National Transportation Safety Board. September 27, 2007. July 27, 2017.
Web site: Investigation: AO-2019-026 - In-flight break-up involving Cessna T210M, VH-SUX 25 km north east of Mount Isa Airport, Queensland on 26 May 2019. 2021-11-25. www.atsb.gov.au.
Web site: Australia Urges More Action On Cessna Wing Carry-Through Structures. 29 November 2021. Niles. Russ. AVweb. 28 November 2021. https://archive.today/20211129132015/https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/australia-urges-more-action-on-cessna-wing-carry-through-structures/. November 29, 2021. live.