Cessna T210M accident near Las Vegas, New Mexico, January 18, 1996
On January 18, 1996 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N761KK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Las Vegas, New Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the throttle cable. A factor relating to the accident was: the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 1996 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N761KK · no longer on the register · serial 21062315
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he reduced the throttle to begin final descent for an IFR approach to the airport. When he pulled back the throttle, 'the throttle control came all the way back with the manifold pressure dropping to zero with the engine idling. Attempts to push the throttle back in to restore power were unsuccessful.' As the aircraft exited the clouds, the pilot 'noted that there were no roads' in the vicinity and the terrain appeared to be 'rough.' Therefore, he decided to make a gear up landing. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed the throttle cable had a big 'loop' and moving the throttle from the cockpit had no effect at the fuel 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,025 hours in all; 525 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 1,875 as pilot in command; 975 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,615 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 17, 1996; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TS1O-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM at 1:55 pm
- Destination: LVS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 1°F (-17°C)
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.