Cessna P210N accident near Roswell, New Mexico, March 6, 1987
On March 6, 1987 at about 1:51 am local time, a Cessna P210N, registered N6115W, was destroyed in an accident near Roswell, New Mexico (Roswell Industrial Air airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- March 6, 1987 · about 1:51 am local time
- Place
- Roswell, New Mexico · Roswell Industrial Air · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N6115W · no longer on the register · serial P21000719
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT, WHO NEVER FLEW AT NIGHT AND WHO TOLD RELATIVES THAT HE WAS EXHAUSTED AFTER ALL-DAY BUSINESS MEETINGS, NEVERTHELESS DEPARTED ALBUQUERQUE, NM, AT 1756, EN ROUTE TO ROSWELL, NM. HE CONTACTED ROSWELL TWR AT 1844 BUT NEVER ARRIVED. THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED 2 DAYS LATER. THE GROUND SCAR WAS 695 FT LONG. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE ALONG THE GROUND SCAR ALTHOUGH THE ACFT WAS CONSUMED BY GROUND FIRE. MEASUREMENTS OF PROPS SLASH MARKS INDICATE ACFT IMPACTED GROUND AT 130.4 TO 133.1 KTS. TOXICOLOGY REPORT REVEALED NO CARBON MONOXIDE IN SPECIMEN. NIGHT VMC CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT TIME OF CRASH.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 600 hours in all; 430 in this make and model; 226 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 604 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 30, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-P (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM
- Destination: ROW Roswell NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from ROW, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.