Cessna T210L accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 30, 1999
On April 30, 1999 at about 7:13 pm local time, a Cessna T210L, registered N59235, was destroyed in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper mixture control use and the engine's subsequent power loss due to fuel starvation, and the lack of suitable terrain for the pilot to perform a forced landing. Factors were the pilot's lack of recent experience in type of airplane, the inadequate manufacturer's emergency engine airborne restart information in the Owner's Manual, and the pilot not performing the published emergency procedures for airborne engine restart.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 1999 · about 7:13 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210L · all T210Ls on the register
- Registration
- N59235 · no longer on the register · serial 2106171
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that the takeoff was uneventful, and he began to level off at 1,000 feet agl to stay in the traffic pattern. He reduced the manifold pressure and began to lean the fuel mixture for cruise with the aid of the engine analyzer. After several communications with the tower, he turned the vernier mixture control further in the lean direction. The pilot said that the engine completely lost power without warning. The passenger stated that the engine fuel flow gauge 'was not indicating any fuel flow,' and the fuel mixture control was in the idle cut-off position. The pilot turned on the auxiliary fuel pump for an engine restart, but didn't move the mixture. The pilot performed a forced landing to 2 to 4 foot sand dune covered terrain. The manufacturer expanded the emergency procedure checklist, in later model T210's, to include 'mixture lean from full rich until restart occurs.' The pilot had 15 hours of flight experience in the airplane, and he had not flown it in the previous 90 days. The engine was placed on a engine run test stand, and it performed normally through its full operating range without difficulty.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,810 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 2,476 as pilot in command; 27 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,405 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 25, 1999; 94 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-H (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kirtland Afb Aero Club
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ at 7:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 27 knots, gusting 37
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:36 pm from ABQ, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.