Cessna 210M accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 7, 1998
On August 7, 1998 at about 10:39 pm local time, a Cessna 210M, registered N732RD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A power loss for reasons undetermined. A factor was unsuitable terrain on which to make a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 1998 · about 10:39 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210M · all 210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N732RD · no longer on the register · serial 21061706
- 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 stated the fuel tanks were serviced to capacity and she departed Albuquerque, New Mexico, and flew to Las Cruces and Silver City, New Mexico. She departed Silver City and was returning to Albuquerque. She was cleared to land on runway 3. As she descended over Belen, New Mexico, she switched the fuel selector from the right tank to the left tank. About 8 miles southwest of Albuquerque, the engine started to 'cut out.' She turned on the boost pump to restore fuel flow. Shortly thereafter, the engine 'stopped completely.' Unable to glide to the airport, she turned the airplane towards an open sandy area on top of a mesa and made a forced landing 6 miles from the runway. Upon touching down, the airplane settled into the soft ground. The nose landing gear was torn off and the airplane nosed over. An FAA inspector went to the accident site and reported finding fuel in the fuel tanks.
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: 3,140 hours in all; 1,185 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 3,060 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,108 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 13, 1998; 73 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 94E Silver City NM at 9:33 pm
- Destination: ABQ Albuquerque NM
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:39 pm from ABQ, 6 miles away
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.