Cessna T210N accident near Nageezi, New Mexico, November 18, 1983
On November 18, 1983 at about 3:53 pm local time, a Cessna T210N, registered N4888Y, was destroyed in an accident near Nageezi, New Mexico. It was a business 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 1983 · about 3:53 pm local time
- Place
- Nageezi, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210N · all T210Ns on the register
- Registration
- N4888Y · no longer on the register · serial 64030
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE TAKEOFF, THE PLT WAS INFORMED OF A SEGMET WHICH FORCASTED OCCASIONAL SEVERE RIME OR MIXED ICING FROM THE FREEZING LEVEL AT 8000 FT UP THRU 20,000 FT & MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULENCE BELOW 18,000 FT. ALSO, EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS, LIGHTNING & THUNDER WERE FORCASTED. THE PLT TOLD THE BRIEFER THAT WOULD 'PROBABLY NOT GO.' HOWEVER, HE TOOK OFF ABOUT 14 MIN LATER WITHOUT FILING A FLT PLAN. THE LAST RADAR CONTACT WAS APPRX 33 MI SSE OF FARMINGTON, NM IN THE VICINITY OF THE CRASH SITE. THE ACFT IMPACTED AT HIGH SPEED WHILE IN A STEEP NOSE DOWN, RIGHT WING DOWN ATTITUDE, AT AN ELEVATION OF ABOUT 6500 FT. THE 0850 MST WX AT FARMINGTON (ELEVATION 5503 FT) WAS 500 FT BROKEN, 10,000 FT OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 5 MI WITH LIGHT RAIN, SNOW & FOG, WIND 250 DEG AT 10 KTS. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT THE ACFT WAS CHANGING ALT & HEADING ABRUPTLY BEFORE CONTACT WAS LOST. THE PLT HAD NOT LOGGED INSTRUMENT TIME FOR APPRX 3 YRS.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,316 hours in all; 105 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 4,156 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 9, 1983
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM at 3:08 pm
- Destination: CYN Moab UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from FMN, 33 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.