Cessna 210B accident near Tonopah, Nevada, October 6, 1999
On October 6, 1999 at about 2:52 am local time, a Cessna 210B, registered N9609X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tonopah, Nevada (Tonopah airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to monitor his altitude and maintain an adequate terrain clearance during the approach. The dark night lighting conditions and the visual illusion created by the lack of ground reference lights were factors in the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 6, 1999 · about 2:52 am local time
- Place
- Tonopah, Nevada · Tonopah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 210B · all 210Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9609X · no longer on the register · serial 21057909
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airport operator reported that it was a very dark night and the airplane requested advisories on the Unicom frequency. The runway lights illuminated and the operator awaited the airplane's arrival. When the airplane did not appear and the runway lights shutoff automatically, the operator began looking for the airplane. He saw a rotating red light in the area where the base leg should have been flown, drove to the site, and discovered the airplane. The airport operator said that the area surrounding the airport is very sparsely populated and the only lighted visual queues during night approaches are the runway lights. The pilot said he lost sight of the threshold lights and unknowingly lost excessive altitude while on downwind. During the base turn, the left main wheel touched the ground and rolled a short distance before the gear collapsed and the airplane slid to a stop.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,104 hours in all; 842 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 5,968 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,243 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 13, 1998; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LMT Klamath Falls OR
- Destination: TPH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 7,057 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 080° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from TPH
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.