Cessna P210N accident near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, September 27, 1991
On September 27, 1991 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna P210N, registered N1JG, was destroyed in an accident near Pagosa Springs, Colorado (Pagosa Springs 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
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE FROM TREES DURING AN APPROACH FOR A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING. HIS IMPROPER USE OF THE MIXTURE CONTROL WAS A RELATED FACTOR CONCERNING THE PARTIAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 1991 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Pagosa Springs, Colorado · Pagosa Springs · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210N · all P210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N1JG · no longer on the register · serial P21000561
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG TAXI AFTER A X-COUNTRY FLT, A PROP BLADE WAS NICKED BY FLYING GRAVEL. THE PLT HAD THE PROP DRESSED BY A MECH, THEN HE MADE AN ENG RUN-UP & TOOK OFF ON A TEST FLT. WITNESSES RPRTD THAT AS THE ACFT WAS DEPG, IT REMAINED AT A LOWER ALT THAN EXPECTED, BUT THE ENG SOUNDED SMOOTH. THE ACFT WAS TURNED DWNWND & MNVRD FOR FINAL APCH TO THE SAME RWY. HOWEVER, IT OVERSHOT THE TURN & COLLIDED WITH TREES AT THE EDGE OF THE CLEAR WAY ABOUT 1200' SHORT OF THE RWY. THE ACFT REMAINED AIRBORNE FOR ABOUT 500', THEN IT COLLIDED WITH THE GATE OF A HI FENCE, CRASHED & BURNED. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION, OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FND, BUT THE MIXTURE CTL WAS FND AT A MID-RANGE PSN, RATHER THAN FULL FORWARD. FOR TAKEOFFS BELOW 17,000' IN THIS ACFT, THE MIXTURE SHOULD HAVE BEEN FULL RICH. THE PLT HAD BEEN ISSUED A 3RD CLASS MED CERT ON 3/14/91, BUT IT WAS RESCINDED LTR, WHEN A CARDIOVASCULAR ABNORMALITY OF THE PLT WAS NOTED. A CHECK OF THE PLT'S BLOOD SHOWED A CHLORPHENIRAMINE (ANTIHISTAMINE) LEVEL OF 0.073 UG/ML. DENSITY ALT WAS ABT 9300'.
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: 14,000 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: None (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,403 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 28, 1991; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-RCP (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 6,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from DRO, 60 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.