Cessna T210M accident near Carbondale, Colorado, October 25, 1990
On October 25, 1990 at about 5:06 pm local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N761TW, was destroyed in an accident near Carbondale, Colorado. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO SEE-AND-AVOID THE POWER LINE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 25, 1990 · about 5:06 pm local time
- Place
- Carbondale, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N761TW · no longer on the register · serial 21062514
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS BEING DELIVERED TO THE OWNER AFTER MAINTENANCE HAD BEEN PERFORMED. DURING THE FLT, IT COLLIDED WITH A HIGH VOLTAGE POWER LINE & CRASHED. ABOUT 1 MI BEFORE REACHING THE ACDNT SITE, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED FLYING AT LOW ALTITUDE IN A CANYON. WITNESSES RPRTD THAT IT THEN DISAPPEARED FROM THEIR VIEW BEHIND HIGHER TERRAIN BEFORE IT CRASHED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE ACFT WAS FOUND.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,054 hours in all; 145 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 1,823 as pilot in command; 1,220 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: West Star Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: GJT Grand Junction CO at 5:00 pm
- Destination: ASE Aspen CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:45 pm from ASE, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.