Cessna T210L accident near Clovis, New Mexico, November 20, 1990
On November 20, 1990 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Cessna T210L, registered N22054, was destroyed in an accident near Clovis, New Mexico (Clovis Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN INADVERTENT DESCENT INTO THE GROUND WHILE CONDUCTING A NON-PRECISION INSTRUMENT APPROACH, AS A RESULT OF THE PILOT FAILING TO STOP HIS DESCENT AT MDA. A FACTOR IS LOW VISIBILITY DUE TO FOG.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 1990 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Clovis, New Mexico · Clovis Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210L · all T210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N22054 · registry record · serial 59703
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CONDUCTING A LOCALIZER-ONLY APPROACH IN DENSE FOG, THE PILOT DESCENDED BELOW MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (MDA) AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY 400 YARDS SHORT OF THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD. SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A PIECE OF FARM MACHINERY WHICH DESTROYED THE AIRCRAFT.
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
- Flight time: 5,900 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 5,900 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-H (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: South Aero, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM at 12:12 pm
- Destination: CVN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 6,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from CVN, 1 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN91FA020.