Cessna 210 accident near Aurora, Colorado, December 31, 1992
On December 31, 1992 at about 2:00 am local time, a Cessna 210, registered N7469E, was destroyed in an accident near Aurora, Colorado (Front Range airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
COLLISION WITH TERRAIN WHEN THE PILOT INADVERTENTLY FLEW INTO FOG WHILE CONDUCTING A VISUAL APPROACH. FACTORS WERE: INACCURATE WEATHER EVALUATION BY THE PILOT AND LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 1992 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Aurora, Colorado · Front Range · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210 · all 210s on the register
- Registration
- N7469E · no longer on the register · serial 57169
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT INTO AN UNCONTROLLED AIRPORT, AT WHICH THE WEATHER WAS IFR DUE TO FOG, THE NON INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT INADVERTENTLY DESCENDED INTO THE GROUND DURING BASE TURN ON APPROACH WHEN HE ENTERED THE FOG. TERRAIN WAS AN OPEN SNOW COVERED FIELD. THIS WAS THE PILOT'S FIRST FLIGHT INTO THIS AIRPORT. THE NEAREST REPORTING STATION AT THE TIME WAS DENVER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHICH WAS REPORTING 6,000 FOOT SCATTERED CLOUDS. THIS INFORMATION WAS GIVEN TO THE PILOT BY DENVER APPROACH CONTROL.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 707 hours in all; 707 in this make and model; 651 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,366 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 7, 1991; 125 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-470-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DVT Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Sky: not recorded at 100 ft
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 am from FTG, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.