Cessna T210L accident near Nucla, Colorado, January 28, 1987
On January 28, 1987 at about 5:08 pm local time, a Cessna T210L, registered N1721X, was destroyed in an accident near Nucla, Colorado. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 28, 1987 · about 5:08 pm local time
- Place
- Nucla, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210L · all T210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N1721X · no longer on the register · serial 21060743
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON AN IFR FLT TO AN ARPT WITHOUT AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH PROCEDURE. ATC CLEARED THE FLT TO DESCEND TO 12,000 FT, THE IFR MEA FOR THE AREA, AT 30 NM NE OF THE ARPT. AT APPROX 3 MIN PRIOR TO THE MISHAP, THE PLT WAS ISSUED A CRUISE CLEARANCE AT 12,000 FT, GIVEN THE ARPT POSITION AS 12 O'CLOCK, 17 NM , AND INSTRUCTED TO REPORT HIS ARRIVAL TO FSS. THE PLT INITIATED A DESCENT ON A TRACK DIRECTLY TO THE ARPT. THE ACFT IMPACTED TREES AT 9200 FT MSL, NEAR THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN RIDGELINE, 13 MILES FROM THE ARPT. EVIDENCE INDICATES THE ACFT WAS IN IMC AND THAT THE RIDGELINE WAS OBSCURED IN CLOUDS. THE WEATHER AT GRAND JUNCTION, 50 NM NORTH, WAS PARTIAL OBSCURATION, LOW SCATTERED CLOUDS, 4000 OVCST, VIS 1 MILE IN FOG.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 23,000 hours in all; 650 in this make and model; 21,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,482 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 8, 1987; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-H-4A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rainbow Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO at 3:23 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; scat at 100 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:10 pm from GJT, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.