Cessna T310R accident near Pie Town, New Mexico, April 26, 1998
On April 26, 1998 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Cessna T310R, registered N467DL, was destroyed in an accident near Pie Town, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's continuing VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing factors were weather conditions, that included clouds, and mountainous terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 1998 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Pie Town, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T310R · all T310Rs on the register
- Registration
- N467DL · no longer on the register · serial 310R0619
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane departed Carson City, Nevada, on April 26, 1998, and was en route to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Radar data indicates it flew at 13,500 feet msl at an average ground speed of 185 knots throughout most of the flight. As the airplane approached the Arizona-New Mexico border, it descended at an average rate of 669 feet per minute and 209 knots ground speed. The last radar contact was at a point 13 west of Springerville, Arizona, when the airplane was at 10,500 feet msl. On September 13, 1998, the wreckage was located at the 8,700 foot level of the Sawtooth Mountains, about 2.5 miles east of Pie Town, New Mexico, and 75 miles east of the last point of radar contact. Witness marks provided evidence that the aircraft collided with vertical terrain in a wings level attitude. On the day of the accident, convective activity was forecast, and satellite photos showed extensive cloud cover in the area.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 5,500 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CXP Carson City NV at 7:05 pm
- Destination: LRU Las Cruces NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.