Cessna P210N accident near Eagle, Colorado, June 30, 2017
On June 30, 2017 at about 6:15 pm local time, a 1980 Cessna P210N, registered N210HG, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Eagle, Colorado (Eagle County Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power due to fuel starvation for reasons that could not be determined because an examination of the airplane and engine did not reveal any malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2017 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Eagle, Colorado · Eagle County Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N N, built 1980 · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N210HG · registry record · serial P21000569
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was on a cross-country flight and as he entered the traffic pattern at his destination airport the engine lost power. The pilot completed the "engine failure during flight" checklist, but the engine did not restart. He then selected a nearby road for the forced landing. After the accident, fire department and recovery personnel reported fuel was leaking from the airplane. It was also reported that the airplane had been filled with about 30 gallons of fuel, nine days before the accident flight. After recovery of the airplane, a test engine run was conducted. The engine was started and run to power. The examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any discrepancies that would account for a loss of engine power. A review of the data from the airplane's engine data monitor (EDM) revealed several flights, including the accident flight. The EDM did not record any flights between the time the airplane was fueled and the accident flight. A plot of the accident flight data, revealed at the end of the flight, a slight increase and subsequent decrease in exhaust gas temperatures (EGTs), which was uniform across all six engine cylinders; typical of fuel being cutoff to the engine. The position of the fuel selector during the approach to the airfield could not be verified; fuel was available in the airplane fuel tanks.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during approach
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel distribution › Not specified
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,950 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 30.3 in the last 90 days; 20.2 in the last 30 days; 1,940 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,422 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 4,001 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor TSIO-520 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tridelaw Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: KMTJ Montrose CO
- Destination: EGE Eagle CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from KEGE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on October 30, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Engine Monitor | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.