Cessna T210M accident near Marble Canyon, Arizona, July 15, 2001
On July 15, 2001 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna T210M, registered N732RC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marble Canyon, Arizona (Cliff Dwellers Lodge airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to use all the available runway and his failure to follow the prescribed short field takeoff procedure resulting in a loss of control during the takeoff roll. Factors were the short, rough, and rising runway, and the soft dirt surrounding the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2001 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Marble Canyon, Arizona · Cliff Dwellers Lodge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna T210M · all T210Ms on the register
- Registration
- N732RC · registry record · serial 61673
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane lifted off in ground effect, veered to the left, and the airplane touched down off the runway in soft dirt and overturned. The pilot landed at Cliff Dwellers Lodge in anticipation of launching on a rafting trip. Lodge personnel informed him that his party would be leaving from nearby Marble Canyon. He did not shut the airplane down and taxied back for takeoff on runway 22, which was a 40-foot-wide dirt runway, 3,820 feet long, at an elevation of 4,217 feet. He used 20 degrees of flaps and the wind was calm. The runway was rough and jostled the airplane more than the pilot was used to. The pilot departed from midfield and the runway sloped uphill in the direction of departure. The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) states that a minimum ground run takeoff can be accomplished using 20 degrees of flaps and leaving the ground in a slightly tail-low attitude. However, it directs the pilot to immediately level off and accelerate to a safe climb speed.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 803 hours in all; 631 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 12 in the last 30 days; 705 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 1, 1999
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,952 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 15, 2001; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AZ03 Marble Canyon AZ at 4:30 pm
- Destination: L41 Marble Canyon AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,820 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from PGA, 20 miles away
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.