Cessna 210M accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, December 18, 1991
On December 18, 1991 at about 12:42 pm local time, a Cessna 210M, registered N1231M, was destroyed in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INSUFFICIENT TERRAIN CLEARANCE ALTITUDE SELECTED BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 1991 · about 12:42 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210M · all 210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N1231M · registry record · serial 21062926
- 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 PLT WAS ON HIS 1ST FLT WITH THE ALL CARGO PART 135 OPERATOR. HE DID NOT HAVE A PART 135 IFR CHECK & WAS TO FLY VFR ON THIS FLT. HE WAS BRIEFED BY THE CHIEF PLT TO FLY RWY HDG AFTER DEPG RWY 12 AT ALBUQUERQUE INTL ARPT & TO CLIMB TO 9500 FT, WHICH WOULD HAVE GIVEN HIM TRRN CLNC WHILE FLYING THRU A PASS. THIS WOULD HAVE ALSO GIVEN A MINIMUM OF 1000 FT CLNC BELOW THE CLOUDS, WHICH WERE RPRTD AS 11,000 OVC. AFTER TAKEOFF, ACCORDING TO THE RADAR PLOT, THE PLT TURNED RGT & PROCEEDED OUT THE APRX PATH CORRESPONDING TO THE 120 DEG RADIAL OF THE ALBUQUERQUE VORTAC. HIS ALTITUDE WAS 9500 FT, ACCORDING TO THE TRANSPONDER MODE 'C' READOUT. ACCORDING TO THE RADAR PLOT, THE ACFT MAINTAINED THIS APRX PATH & ALTITUDE UNTIL COLLISION WITH A 10,600 FT MTN, WHICH WAS LOCATED SOUTH OF THE FLT PATH THAT THE PLT WAS BRIEFED TO FLY. THE PLT HAD RCVD NO TRAINING FROM THE COMPANY, NOR WAS ANY REQD BY FAA REGULATIONS, SINCE HE CAME ABOARD WITH A CURRENT PART 135 CHECK.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,320 hours in all; 51 in this make and model; 1,252 as pilot in command; 1,033 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,702 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 10, 1991; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-FCL (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: South Arero, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM at 12:25 pm
- Destination: CNM Carlsbad NM
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 11,000 ft; scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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 DEN92FA016.