Cessna T210M accident near Taos, New Mexico, March 2, 1991
On March 2, 1991 at about 4:41 am local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N761MU, was destroyed in an accident near Taos, New Mexico (Taos Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S DECISION TO INITIATE FLIGHT INTO FREEZING RAIN WHICH RESULTED IN STRUCTURAL ICING THAT EXCEEDED THE ABILITY OF THE AIRCRAFT TO MAINTAIN FLIGHT. A FACTOR WAS: IMPROPER DEICING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 2, 1991 · about 4:41 am local time
- Place
- Taos, New Mexico · Taos Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N761MU · no longer on the register · serial 210-62371
- 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
THE AIRCRAFT WAS DEICED WITH PURE ETHYLENE GLYCOL AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND THEN DEPARTED ON AN IFR FLIGHT IN FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW WITH A TEMPERATURE/DEW POINT OF 33/31. DEPARTURE INSTRUCTIONS WERE FOR A RIGHT TURN TO THE NORTH FOLLOWING TAKEOFF AND DIRECT TO THE VOR. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND NINE HOURS AFTER DEPARTING, SCATTERED IN A FIELD, 1.5 MILES NORTH OF THE AIRPORT.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,350 hours in all; 1,250 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 3,575 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: 4,016 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: ABQ Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 900 ft; scat at 300 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 am from SKX, 2 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.