Cessna T210M accident near Littleton, Colorado, April 19, 1991
On April 19, 1991 at about 2:40 pm local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N761CM, was destroyed in an accident near Littleton, Colorado. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER REASSEMBLY OF THE OVERHAULED TURBOCHARGER BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL, AND THE PILOT'S IMPROPER USE OF THE MIXTURE CONTROL AND BOOST PUMP. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AND UNSUITABLE TERRAIN IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 1991 · about 2:40 pm local time
- Place
- Littleton, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N761CM · no longer on the register · serial 21062150
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE TURBOCHARGER FAILED DURING CLIMB TO CRUISE AND THE PILOT IMPROPERLY SELECTED HIGH BOOST AND FULL RICH MIXTURE, CAUSING A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER. IMC PREVAILED AND THE PILOT WAS INITIALLY VECTORED TOWARDS A DISTANT AIRPORT, THEN VECTORED TOWARDS A CLOSER AIRSTRIP. THE PILOT MADE A FORCED LANDING ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH WIRES, TREES, AND A HOUSE, THEN BURNED. A POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE TURBOCHARGER DISCLOSED IMPROPER REASSEMBLY BY THE OVERHAUL FACILITY.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,863 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 12,191 as pilot in command; 2,756 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,316 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 15, 1990
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R-1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Denver Air Center
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Broomfield CO at 2:23 pm
- Destination: COS Colorado Spring CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Observation at 2:46 pm from APA, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.